When Smart People Say and Do Stupid Things …

I’m never surprised when stupid people say stupid things. But when smart people say stupid things, I want to know more.

Which brings us to Susan Rice, the president’s national security advisor who, based on traditional standards, is a very smart individual. She was a high school valedictorian, a Phi Beta Kappa at Stanford, and a Rhodes scholar.

Not bad, right? So how can someone that bright say such dumb things. Speaking on ABC’s Sunday news show “This Week,” Ms. Rice said that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who, according to his fellow soldiers may have been a deserter – or worse, “served the United States with honor and distinction.”

This is the same Susan Rice who went on Sunday news programs and misled the nation about the slaughter of four Americans in Benghazi, saying it was instigated by an anti-Muslim video.

Smart people learn from their mistakes. Not Susan Rice.

I suspect Ms. Rice checks her intelligence at the door and just says whatever Mr. Obama’s people want her to say. She may see this as loyalty to the president — and maybe it is. But she comes off as a dolt.

The president supposedly is pretty smart too, Columbia and Harvard Law would indicate a certain level of smarts. But how could a smart person so mishandle the announcement of Sgt. Bergdahl’s release from Taliban captivity?

As we all know, the president brought the soldier’s parents to the Rose Garden to make the big announcement — on live TV. There was no mention of Bergdahl’s questionable conduct in Afghanistan. How could he say anything about that with the soldiers parents standing next to him?

Perhaps President Obama calculated that when the news got out, his allies in the so-called mainstream media would fall into line and attack conservatives for having the bad manners to question the president’s judgment. After all, even if we stipulate that it’s the president’s duty to bring any American soldier home who’s been held in captivity, it’s perfectly reasonable to ask if this was a deal he should have made, since it had already been rejected by his top aides several years ago.

Was trading five top Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo … for a soldier who, according to more than a few of the men who knew him, was a deserter, a smart move? The president said Bergdahl’s health was deteriorating and it was now or never. That may or may not turn out to be true.

I get the impression that Mr. Obama thought we’d all swoon over his success in bringing an American soldier home after five years of captivity. A narcissist might think that way. Perhaps he figured if Republicans jumped on him, his loyalists would simply say they were engaging in detestable partisan politics and the American people would take the president’s side. Except no one but the most sycophantic so-called progressive supporters of this president is happy with what has transpired.

How could a smart man have engineered such a public relations disaster?

Maybe Sgt. Bergdahl is not a deserter. Maybe he didn’t collaborate with the enemy. Maybe so many of his fellow soldiers got it all wrong. Time will sort out the facts. Still, a smarter president, one not so enamored with himself, would not have held a high-profile ceremony outside the White House. A smarter president would have found a more modest way to tell the nation he was bringing an American soldier home; he would have explained that it was a very difficult decision because of the high price America had to pay. He would have told us that he was not happy about releasing the worst of the worst from Guantanamo. He would have said his decision was made all the more difficult because of reports about Sgt. Bergdahl’s behavior in Afghanistan. But in the end, a somber Mr. Obama might have said, “I wanted to get this American out. I hope you understand.”

And I think most Americans would have understood.

Instead, as some have said, the president went into the Rose Garden and “spiked the football.” He never saw the storm coming. Or perhaps he did – and simply didn’t care.

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Soooo many references to the Bergdahl-Rose Garden stunt and yet no one noticed that the Prezidunce looked as if he was going to be doubly incontinent when the father started his Pashto riff

loupgarous

Bernie, these aren’t “stupid things” that Susan Rice and her boss are saying. They’re carefully crafted lies intended to lead the Democratic base away from any semblance of sanity or contact with reality. Hitler’s “big lie” all over again. By calling Susan Rice’s lies “stupid,” you pay her the unintended compliment of absolving her from intellectual co-authorship of the deliberate destruction of our nation, so it can be rebuilt in the image of countless leftists whom Obama grew up revering.

Obama has done more with his pen and phone than Rick Ayers and the rest of the Weather Underground did with their dynamite and shrapnel bombs.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

“So how can someone that bright say such dumb things. Speaking on ABC’s
Sunday news show “This Week,” Ms. Rice said that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl,
who, according to his fellow soldiers may have been a deserter – or
worse, “served the United States with honor and distinction.””

Unless Bergdahl is tried in a court of law and found guilty then he has served with honor and distinction.

gold7406

wrong. he will be tried under the ucmj.
under the same circumstances, this would lead to a less than honorable discharge. a general or dishonorable discharge. he will not receive an honorable discharge. and that you take to the bank.
bergdahl was discharged from the coast guard for psychological reasons. [that’s a pc catch all for a whole basketful of problems.]

loupgarous

Wrong, Terri. Honor and distinction are not assumed of service in the US Armed Forces, they are the result of an assessment by one’s superiors that one has met the exacting standards of military service that most of our military people make look so easy.

Unfortunately for him, Sgt. Bergdahl behaved in such a way that a court martial (or at least an Article 32 determination) will be needed to find whether or not his conduct in leaving his post and seeking out the enemy qualifies as “honorable” or “service with distinction,” or if it is instead a breach of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The worst-case scenarios for him are conviction for desertion in time of war or treason in time of war, both of which can carry the death penalty.

The very best thing, if Obama doesn’t threaten the members of his court-martial board through Chuck Hagel and the cowards left in the upper echelons of the Army after Obama did his firings of generals, that Bergdahl could hope for from an objective court-martial is a General Discharge, with no reference to either honor or distinction.

As the father of a young man who died in combat in Iraq, I find this theft of honor from those who sacrificed their lives, health and freedom so we could retain ours offensive in the extreme. But Obama wouldn’t recognize honor if it lit into his wife’s purse and bit him on the balls.

ScranunSlim

Sooo WRRRRONNNGGG it requires not so much refutation as medication (National Review’s Jonah Goldberg)

Sully

Intellectual arrogance. Look they’re (supposedly) smart. They think/know they’re smart. You regard them as smart. They know you regard them as smart. Therefore, they often feel that they can say anything and have it accepted as fact. Remember the old saying “if you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS”, The only problem with that maxim is that most of the time smart people can’t be BS’d.

ADM64

This is a good point. Many of the subjects these people major in when in college lend themselves to glibness and have little rigor. It is a lot harder – indeed impossible – to talk one’s way out of a math problem in an engineering class.

wildjew

Mr. Goldberg, I was rather disappointed with you last night on Bill O’Reilly. O’Reilly took one of his rare courageous stands on Islam, rightly saying Bob Bergdahl, who invoked / prayed to Allah at the White House ceremony, looked like a Muslim. Indeed. But you chastised him saying Bergdahl looked more like someone from Duck Dynasty or an Hasidic Jew, etc., even as he recited the Bismillah or Basmallah prayer which according to some experts is an Islamic victory cry.

Joe Adams

Don’t understand. What are you trying to say?

wildjew

I guess I am saying, I would not have challenged Bill O’Reilly on his observation that Robert Bergdahl looked like a (devout) Muslim. He spoke / prayed like a Muslim. If he looks like a Muslim, quacks like a Muslim….etc., well?

loupgarous

You haven’t had a kid in trouble in a war zone. I’d utter that prayer if it could bring my son back from the dead. I’d grow a long beard to do it, too. As Bernie has obserived, long gray beards are back in style for older American men. Phil Robertson hasn’t had any flak from wearing one.

wildjew

Is Phil Robertson praying to Allah?

michael binder

then u and i would be in the same good company.

michael binder

Look….i have been telling people (O’Reilly for one) for years that this guy is DANGEROUS!! We have not yet seen the worst from this liar-in-chief. And quit calling people who say dumb things smart. If a dumb person says something smart you don’t call him/her smart. Geez…!!

Guest

I’m thinking nobody would ever called you smart then.

michael binder

I will grant you two things, my friend: I am not smart, and you cannot think

Iggy Autry

You know, it just occurred to me – a different way – perhaps we should start concluding our highest institutes of learning have been teaching stupidity for decades…???…

Obama was about the last generation of Cold War-bred intellectuals who were allowed to fantasize about “the revolution” (the communist variety) that was inevitable. I’m being a little generous here – because the level of oppression and poverty in the communist world was too well known by the early 1980s, but I’ll cut him some slack…

But, there can be no excuse for those who came of age in the late-80s and after…….but, how different are the halls of the Humanities these days? From what they were in the 70s or 60s?

They are still preaching Liberation. They are still preaching the oppressive nature of the capitalist democracies. They are still preaching much the same as they did back then – with some minor change in terminology and rhetorical flare.

All of this is — stupid. It is purposeful ignorance.

Even a middle school grad can plainly see the broad strokes of history – if he takes a little time.

But, in higher education – especially elite education – they aren’t just in Ivory Towers —- they are in Ivory Cocoons – bent on ignoring history…

They are stupid by choice….

Iggy Autry

An example from my high school days, in the late 80s, in the conservative South: Our American History teacher covered Pearl Harbor but flew through the rest of the war. About the only other things we took time on were: how the US used concentration camps too, the heinous nature of the bombing of Dresden and Tokyo, and the use of atomic weapons…

Now, none of that was fantasy. It was a one-sided view of history, and we can argue about analysis of each item, for sure….

….but….at least she wasn’t teaching me the Soviet Union might have had a chance to achieve the worker’s paradise if the capitalist bullies had not forced Stalin and crew into wasting national resources to protect themselves…

Tim Bertram Black

You selectively remember what you want to remember. You mean to tell me your teacher didn’t mention Hitler — or that if your teacher did it was only tangentially as one of the “only other things”?
Are you kidding? I think this says more about the state of education in the South than anything else.
How is Obama to blame for this again?
You like social security? It is a socialist concept. You confuse communism with socialism.

Iggy Autry

Learn to read. Then think a little. I will not pretend you are adding to a discussion…

If you are talking Bob Jones University or Liberty University — everyone would agree with you… but I bet you are talking about Harvard, Oxford, Princeton, Yale, etc.

Iggy Autry

Yet another reply that makes no reply. Nonsense.

Tim Bertram Black

Let me help you out little man! A lot of his screed was against higher education and their preaching of “liberation”.
I posited (tongue in cheek) if he was talking about BJU or LU — two institutions of which he most assurdedly would approve… errr, ust google them.
Obviously, the strange man wasn’t talking about those — he was talking about Harvard, Yale, etc… the traditional targets of right-wing anti-science folks.
It is a satirical method used to turn an inanity against the speaker of same. He generalizes, I stab him back with it — then (because this is a low info board), I echoed back what he was trying to say– because to not do so would confuse too much… although, from your post, I underestimated the ignorance of the herd here.
I truly believe that my reply made absolutely no sense to you! And it probably makes no sense to the original poster as well — who (dare I say it?) isn’t qualified to sharpen pencils at the institution he’s attacking.
The amount of sheer ignorant blind hatred on these boards must make Bern-Bern a little freaked out.

Iggy Autry

You do not try to engage in thought. You’re like the students who show up just to shout down a conservative speaker on campus. You’ll remain full of yourself your entire life and aren’t worth responding to, because your snide, childish drivel rarely amounts to half a real comment.

Tova Feinman

With an incoherent argument like that, it is painfully obvious YOU did not attend an Ivy League school. By the way, I’m a scientist in good standing, a conservative, AND a survivor of the ivy covered halls of which you speak. Fortunately, the sciences are not YET infiltrated with the likes of you. The scientific method still reigns supreme and “settled science” is an oxymoron. Go back to your “women’s studies”, “ethnic studies”, “gender studies” and “victimology” crowd. They will receive you with open arms. Let we grown-ups debate, “little man”.

Tim Bertram Black

Wasn’t an argument. (?)
It is great to meet a conservative that believes in the scientific method… you are a rarity, my friend! Let me check one thing though: Is the earth around 6,000 years old?

George Williams

I am a conservative and a graduate of an engineering college. I believe in the scientific method. People like you are hell bent on keeping your preconceived notions to stereotype people into categories, the enlighted left and the ignorant right. I’ve observed the left. Most are obsessed with social issues, understand little of science or engineering, but seem to latch onto one side of a scientific issue and close their minds to the possibilty that the other side is right. They wrongly believe that they have a lock on science and the right are luddites, when the left takes one side on faith. They have little choice, due to their lack of understanding of math, physics or chemistry to back up their beliefs. In short, the left is long on a form of secular faith, but short on actual understanding. They side with those who would punish capitalism and demonize wealth. After all, the wealth got there’s by stealing from everyone else, didn’t they? The prosperity that cheap energy has brought us is evil and must be stamped out in favor or ridiculous claims that windmills and solar power are all we need to exist, when they cannot possibly feed an expanding economy or world population.

Tim Bertram Black

I never touted battery powered cars as the silver bullet to our energy problems.
Obviously, solar and wind power have a place in the American energy portfolio.
Why not tout alternative sources of energy? Only an oafish moron would suggest we dump fossil energy entirely… which is why Obama has never suggested that.
You seem to think that exploring alternative energy in and of itself is a bad thing.
Your hatred has blinded you to logic and reality. You don’t think like a scientist — you think like a enraged child with dirty diapers. All emotion — no forethought — no nuance.

George Williams

What source alternative to fossil fuels would contribute more than solar and wind? Energy is not free, and it is limited, even by way of so-called renewables. The laws of phyics tell us thus what is available to us. They are: nuclear, both fission and fusion; kinetic, from wind; potential, from waterfalls and tidal generators; and chemical, from the combustion of fossil fuels. There are no magic souces that we can conjure up. We are stuck with these alternatives for the forseeable future. We have a growing population and the present population has expectations of maintaining our current standard of living, and believe it or not, some people have expectatios of improving their standard of living, foolish that they may be. Stay with Barack Obummer and fossil fuels will be abandoned, or cost so much that our standard of living will decline. The poor will suffer most, as much of our agriculture and cheap food depends on reasonably priced fossil fuel. The big agricultural produces will pass that price on to the consumers and the poor will have to eat less. Manufacturers of other consumer goods will pass the cost of fuel on to the rest of us, we’ll buy less because of the higher costs, which will result in lower production and cost jobs.
No, it is people like you are devoid of logic. You have no education in science or business, yet you claim to be smarter than the rest of us when it comes to the economics of manufacturing and energy usage.

Tim Bertram Black

Yawn. I’m not going to tout my bona fides here. I never made the claims you cite and again: you don’t think like a scientist. As far as logic goes, you wrangle the premises and conclude what you’d like to conclude.
You are dead to me.

George Williams

Because you have no bona fides. It usually happens that way. Eventally the fakes lose steam because they’ve been found out. Goodbye.

Integrity

TBB Theorem: George Williams does not think like a scientist.
Reductio ad absurdum: George disagrees with TBB which contradicts TBB’s assumptions, therefore TBB is forced to conclude George is wrong. QED

Jeff Webb

Safe, cowardly exit of the outmatched liberal.

Guest

No one more cowardly than you.

Jeff Webb

Now that’s just hurtful, princess.

Know what? I just remembered you never responded to several of the points I made before. Let’s go over a few of our previous exchanges and get a little direct counterpoint from you, you brave, fact-loving little soldier.

Guest

Sure twinkletwat. Let’s start with the one where you called the Newtown parents NAMBLA child molesters. Perhaps you would like to apologize you gutless twit.

Jeff Webb

Perhaps your English teachers would like to apologize to you for your lack of reading comprehension. Tell them they’ll get their turn right after your psychotherapist’s. : )>

Guest

Didn’t think you would have the guts. Now go back to suching the Koch Bros Kochs

macveen

Again,that kind of no-answer nonsensical response is what I’ve come to expect from you. Oooh boy, you really nailed that one. You must be proud of yourself!

Are you still in high school?

Guest

Your cult hero Webb is a gutless twerp who refers to the Newtown parents as NAMBLA child molesters. This bloviating blowhard who has the unmitigated gall to shower safe cowardly exit abuse on anyone? Who runs like a villain when confronted and takes the censorshit punk way out? What could be safer or more cowardly than that?

macveen

Another validation of you immature sense of intellectual grandeur. How do you manage all that?

macveen

You’re a real trip Guest. You have been slammed, jammed, and crammed in every way imaginable here and all you can do is claim superior Intellect. You are simply pathetic.

Have you ever been to BJU? Do you know anything about this internationally lauded and SASC accredited institution other than it does not represent your warped views of life? How about the rights of others that believe differently? Your unbridled narcissism is extreme, but unfortunately is acute among atheists, homosexuals, and democrats.

George Williams

Why are you a anti-religious bigot? Christianity has had a very civilizing influence on this country and the world as a whole, but people like you always seem to find time to disparage people of faith.

Tim Bertram Black

I’m against ALL religions. They drive people to hate and murder. They allow people to do horrible things — then just get “forgiven”… oh, how quaint!
Religion is a relic from the infancy of our species that needs to die. Grow up! There is no X-ian god, muslim god, hindu gods, Poseidon, Hecate, Set, …. etc.
You seriously still believe any of that crap? I’m presuming you are an X-ian, if you were born in Iran, you’d believe just as strongly in another set myths!
Get it? You believe in the myths of your clan… if you were born into a snake handler family — you’d most likely be a snake handler today.
Constantine turned the cross into a sword, too, you oafish clown.

Maxwell Cahill

Just out of curiosity, Mr Black—If all religions drive people to “hate”, and you seem to infer that you are devoid of religion—what is it that drives you to be so hateful?

Tim Bertram Black

I’m bitterly disappointed in the ignorance I see on this site. I can’t believe these people (writers and posters) are so out of touch with reality. It is shameful.

Maxwell Cahill

I’m sure you’ll recover, Mr. Black.
You might want to add this to your belief file: Those people are only out of touch with YOUR perspective on “reality”.
And, this might be a crushing blow to your ego, but most people have very little regard for your “reality”.
It’ll all be clearer to you after you grow up.

macveen

Nice reply

Jeff Webb

>>I’m against ALL religions. They drive people to hate and murder.
They allow people to do horrible things<>I’m bitterly disappointed in the ignorance I see on this site.<<

See, it's a little different over here; when it comes to displaying ignorance, you never disappoint.

I just hope that I never have a Doctor that attended Bob Jones, which is not a University

Jeff Webb

Better to hope that you don’t work in some form of teaching position. First, the name “Bob Jones University” isn’t a coincidence. Second, it doesn’t have a medical school.

pax2u

thank God it does not have a medical school, otherwise it would be a medical school of faith healing only

Jeff Webb

Yeah, thank “God” for that. lol
Dude, you’re embarrassed. Recover from it before you take another stab at looking intelligent.

pax2u

at least I went to an University that is accredited

Jeff Webb

>>at least I went to an University that is accredited<<

And if you check my response to Tim from an hour ago, you'd know that doesn't spare you the responsibility of making yourself look intelligent.

pax2u

well at least BJ is not a real school

Jeff Webb

>>well at least BJ is not a real school<>Forbes national university ranking, Bob Jones was unranked in 2011<>is there a major in snake handling?<<

No, but they make it a point to know what "accreditation" means. (Knowing what "school" means is well covered before people are old enough to even attend one. Well, MOST people.)

Any more self-humiliation you need to take care of, or are we done here?

pax2u

I wonder if the biology courses are taught in the theology department at the good old BJ?

Jeff Webb

That’s funny, because I was just wondering if the biology instructors at your school make sure they keep sharp objects out of students’ reach.

pax2u

does the biology department at a good old BJ teach natural selection and evolution?

Jeff Webb

Don’t get me wrong, your attempts at wit are entertaining and all, but let’s get on-topic. Anything about Bernie’s column you’d like to comment on? Were any of his facts wrong? Anything you find logically flawed? If so, why?
(No need to answer if you think the column is right on the money.)

pax2u

Forbes national university ranking, Bob Jones was unranked in 2011

pax2u

is there a major in snake handling?

Jeff Webb

Actually, TRACS and USDE think it’s accredited. Take it up with them if that’s a problem.

If your mind weren’t so addled with hate, you might have taken a moment to learn that. Moron, heal thyself.

scott autry

First, people, stop feeding the trolls. If a “comment” doesn’t try to actually make a comment – but is just petty snark, ignore it or blast it with a disclaimer that we won’t engage in inane banality.

Anyway, I was reading Indoctrinate U. It has many tidbit examples of what I’m talking about. If you find in the 2000s a professor secure enough in his department to state at the start of a semester that he is a Maoist and that Mao and communism have been greatly misunderstood throughout history —- you have ignorance as one of your core curriculum goals.

At least people in church are openly basing their beliefs on faith.

These idiots with PhDs make a career out of trying to twist the brains of each generation into ignoring the staggering weight of recorded history in the 20th century.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Not really. What they are trying to teach then is that there is a whole sea of idea’s that are just as valid as the ones they believe in. They try to teach them how to evaluate what they are reading.

That is called education, not twisting brains. And history is far more than just the 20th century.

You refer to Mr. Obama as an “intellectual” … I suppose you are using that term VERY loosely.

Jeff Webb

I won’t deny Obama’s intelligent, but as I’ve said before, he’s no more so than any other politician past or present. At this point only his most infatuated, disturbingly loyal foot-smoochers could still consider him the same unparalleled genius that stole their hearts in ’07.

George Williams

What is intelligence but taking facts and using them wisely. I see nothing of that in Obama. Obama has all the history of his leftist predecessors, including the mistakes to avoid the negative outcomes of the past, yet he insists on taking the same course of actions. Some would argue that this is an indication of insanity. I would argue that stating that he’s intelligent is pandering to racial groups to avoid being called racist. His actions are hardly indicative of intelligence.

Tim Bertram Black

Yeah, but George… you believe in Allen B. West who is absolutely one of the most despicable politicians there ever was or ever can be.
And to the original — “as I’ve said before, he’s no more so than any other politician”… Dude, he’s thousands of miles more so intelligent than Dub-ya. Dubya never said he was smart — a “C” student that failed at everything he ever attempted to do. Dubya spoke with God. Literally. He said that he spoke with God, and that God told him to go into Iraq and kill hundreds of thousands of people… which I must say is consistent with your God’s MO… the Amalikites come to mind.
I’m floored by the ignorance the commenters on this site espouse. I am not your enemy — I am an American asking you to put the gun down… go back into the house and really truly and deeply study the issues… read books — especially REAL history books not written by Moon Landing deniers or Hollow Earthers…
I beg you people.

George Williams

We don’t know what kind of student Obama was for certain, except we an guess because he was stoned on drugs while in school, because he refuses to expose his record to scrutiny of the press. I suspect that as an affirmative action student that he barely passed every class. Undoubtedly the books your referring to are his autobiographies, books that there are serious doubts as to his authorship. He openly admits that at least one is more a self-serving novel than a story of his life, i.e. he made it up. Obama is a fraud, a cheap political hack born of community organizing in which he spent most of his time arm after graduating from college twisting arms for contributions from local businesses to fund local elections for Marxist ACORN’s advocates and the SEIU. It was obscene that a man such as that would occupy such a responsible position as president of the Unites States, and we are reaping the horror of that mistatke every day. And yoiu have no cause to attack Allen West, except for the fact that you’re an Obama sycophant puppet who spends his life attacking Fox and the Koch brothers on behalf of the DNC, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Did I tell you Obama’s story about keeping your insurance and doctor under Obamacare? That’s only the most egregious and notorious of Obama lies, though the numbers are legion by now. Allen West served in the military and is heroically attacking the feces known as Obama and the Democratic Pary, in spite of your Black Caucus plantation occupiers’ demagoguery, libels and slanders.

Tim Bertram Black

Your 2k library is full of authors that support your wordview.
I’m tripping balls on magic mushrooms right now — how does that make me any less intelligent? Obama did cocaine and pot… as did every intellectually curious person during the 80’s. I still DO smoke pot (O HEAVENS!).
Anyone who can refer to the president of their country — my country — still the greatest country — my home — as “feces” doesn’t deserve to live in our great country.

Jeff Webb

>>Anyone who can refer to the president of their country — my country — still the greatest country — my home — as “feces” doesn’t deserve to live in our great country.<<

So, so true. Heck, I've even seen people describe a U.S. president as a total idiot who thoughtlessly and carelessly caused hundreds of thousands of needless deaths!

George Williams

Dogs are intellectually curious. Our species doesn’t have a lock on it. LOL. Of course, ask anyone who smokes, swallows or injects mind altering drugs, they will tell you that they’re the most enlighted and brilliant people in the world. Unfortunately, they can hardly be trusted to be the judge of their own intellectual abilities after spending their life time ingesting it. That’s how insidious it is .

Jeff Webb

>>I am not your enemy — I am an American asking you to put the gun down… go back into the house and really truly and deeply study the issues…
read books — especially REAL history books not written by Moon Landing
deniers or Hollow Earthers…
I beg you people.<<

This is what I'm talking about.
You regularly post presumptuous, broad-brush insults like that. So much of what you say about conservatives is a caricature, and it's over the top.

You've posted here a fraction of the time Legal Eagle has, and you've already out-jerked his worst by a mile.
You don't like to think you're an enemy, but you sure as hell talk about conservatives as if they're YOUR enemies.
BTW, you don't think I used that word out of the blue, do you?http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3020709/posts

As far as debate goes, I really prefer talking with people on the other side of the aisle; when they jump to conclusions and talk AT me it defeats the purpose.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

We believe that he is human, as we have always believed. It has been those who do not like who have tried to pretend that those of us who voted for him ‘adore’ him, ‘worship’ him or believe that nothing he does can be wrong. WE certainly don’t feel that way.

Jeff Webb

You yourself might not feel that way, but my second sentence applies nonetheless.

Brian Stover

In a word: INCOMPETENT!

Tim Bertram Black

Actually, the Bern-Bern is good at what he does… over the last decade he’s sort of gone off the deep end, true, but incompetent is too strong… the Bernster is laughing all the way to the bank.

Chester Bester

Too much drugs Webb-Master? Name one time you think you have gotten under my skin. Quite the opposite, I have confronted and tormented you, right from the start where you accused among others the Newtown parents of “exploit mongering” on behalf of their slain children and compared them to NAMBLA child molesters. Make no mistake Webb-Master, you will never live that down and I will be upyourasslikeagerbil until you man up and take ownership of your hatred and misery.

loupgarous

This is Obama high on himself (you got that exactly right), and purposefully oblivious to the national reaction he had to know was going to ensue. Parents and other loved ones of those who died, were maimed, or simply actually DID serve with distinction and honor are objecting, and we have a right to do so.

It is one thing to be compassionate to someone who slipped out of his compound on the edge of battle, having endured the rigors of battle, and may have been captured or may have surrendered himself under terms we can only guess.

It’s quite another to steal valor from those who (like my dear, departed younger son, who died in Iraq with his comrades in January 2006) gave of their lives to serve our country to shower on someone who did not distinguish himself with valor.

THAT is what Barack Obama did. He, not Bowe Bergdahl, stole valor from the thousands of Americans who died in Southeast Asia trying to extinguish the malignant monsters who have declared war on Western Civilization. I don’t care if Obama is “really” a Muslim or anything else extraneous to the issue of his actions.

I do care that such a supposedly intelligent man chose deliberately to minimize the sacrifices of all those who died or were maimed doing their jobs, or still stand there in Afghanistan doing their jobs by confusing Bergdahl with them. Bergdahl must be tried to determine what his role in his own fate was. For him to escape that accounting to make Obama look good would be an injustice for every man and woman who serves our nation faithfully, or ever did.

Bob Olden

Your eloquence stemming from the way this touches you and your family is truly heart-wrenching. Only the most narcissistic of leaders could be so unconcerned at how this action would impact all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to combat the evil forcesnd their fellow soldiers and all their loved ones. And to add insult to injury, he takes the valuable assets our forces fought and died to capture and he sets them virtually free! Obama spits upon our brave defenders and puts our country into ever greater danger with every day his administration remains in power.

equinox

It is actually quite simple. A probaility analysis of the risk, based upon the past destruction caused collectively by the 5 Releasees, combined with the expanded and more sophisitcated killing resources and technology now available, and the further fact that at least some of the Releasees have already announced that they are re-joining the fray, would likely predict, at the low end, dozens to hundreds of deaths, and at the high end, thousands. It’s not theoretical. These deaths will happen, for sure. Any rational and compassionate person would understand that saving scores of lives (as the deaths that will result form the release of these war criminals is a virtual certainty, only the number is variable) trumps the duty of the President to use his best efforts to obtain the release of a US soldier, even a hero. Sacrificing one’s life or freedom to save the lives of brother soldiers, or innocent civilians, is a soldier’s duty and Obama just reversed it, and as a result he has put Bergdahl in the position that the blood of those who will now die as a result of the release will be on his hands, as well as on Obama’s. It’s simply Orwellian, especially how the mainstream media has been co-opted in the last 5 years. Brilliant execution. Big danger for our Republic.

Tim Bertram Black

These 5 can be droned now… they probably have gps in their skulls.. they will be most tracked humans on planet… they are a trojan horse to any group they try to join b/c we’ll know everything about that group b/c of them… Obama can’t win with “you people”… whereas Dubya — the idiot manchild of Kennebunkport — couldn’t do wrong even when he signed a completely unfunded Med part D and got rid of pay as you go…
Unreal

George Williams

Really, and how many people would die before we put them out of action? How many people would have to die as payment for Bergdhal’s release. Will you be there to console the victims. I think not. You have a glib answer for everything, none of it making any sense to people who actually care about the cost.

Tim Bertram Black

I’m proud of my country and my president for getting Bergdhal home. I’m happy beyond belief for both him and his family.
We don’t leave a soldier behind. I believe we’ll get way more info out of these 5 in the field instead of watching them rot in Gitmo.
And this is all part of the cost of war. Grow a spine.

Jeff Webb

>>they probably have gps in their skulls..
they will be most tracked humans on planet… they are a trojan horse to any group they try to join b/c we’ll know everything about that group b/c of them<>Obama can’t win with “you people”… whereas Dubya — the idiot manchild of Kennebunkport<<

A guy who calls others ignorant is unaware George W. Bush hails from New Haven, CT. How cute.

— couldn't do wrong even when he signed a completely unfunded Med part D and got rid of pay as you go<<

You don't know what I or many others think of George W. Bush. Quit making assumptions if you're going to sneer about the ignorance of others, and quit distracting from the column topic.

Tim Bertram Black

I was referring to the Bush vacation home to emphasize the silver spoon that the little monster was born with.
Just think how much better the entire WORLD would be if the Supremes hadn’t interfered in a state election unconstitutionally.
Dubya is what happens when “you people” elect a president. But, then again, you folks can’t wait for the end of the world… the sooner you destroy the planet, the sooner Jesus H. comes back…
Unreal.

Jeff Webb

How about that link?

>>I was referring to the Bush vacation home to emphasize the silver spoon that the little monster was born with.<>Just think how much better the entire WORLD would be if the Supremes hadn’t interfered in a state election unconstitutionally.<>Dubya is what happens when “you people” elect a president.<>But, then again, you folks can’t wait for the end of the world…the sooner you destroy the planet, the sooner Jesus H. comes back<<

Yeah, if that's what you say about people you don't regard as your enemy, whatever you reserve for your actual enemy must be a real stunner.

loupgarous

“Completely unfunded Med part D”? I’m disabled and on Medicare Part D. I pay for Part D coverage every month, as does every other Part D recipient not poor enough to be on Medicaid. And Part D, according to the Congressional Budget Office, is one of the very few programs to stay within its projected budget impact. ObamaCare sure won’t, according to that same agency.

equinox

Tim, intelligent people reply to the points not the presenter, and avoid references like “you people”, which show your emotional vulnerability and lack of objectivity. As far as your glib suggestion that Obama knew what he was doing because he plans to kill the 5 Releasees with drone strikes, all I can say is that is certainly a possiblity, but an unlikiely one for these reasons: (i) It would not please the radical Left, because it would be “immoral” and “unjfair” (we have an unfair tech advantage over the poor and honorable, freedom fighting Taliban; and Obama is intent on sucking up to the Left for the rest of his term in light of how miserably he has failed on the other hot button issues the Left supports; and (ii) even if Obama decided to actually terminate the 5 Releasees: (a) he would have a hard time doing it while they are in Qatar, because of the diplomatic firestorm it would create, which means that they will be free to cause as much devestation as possible for at least a year and probably cause many many deaths fo US soldiers and inniocent civilians (mostly Muslim!); and (b) the level of competence demonstrated so far by the Obama Adminstration makes it highly unlikely they wold be able to pull this off without killing the wrong people.

Jeff Webb

We’re at the point Obama appears incapable of ordering a sandwich, let alone a drone strike on the 5 he released.

Tim Bertram Black

Please tell me that this is hyperbole?
You know that now that these 5 are outside Gitmo, we can drone them? And these 5 will be the best tracked 5 people on the planet? They may even have gps implanted in their skulls? Watching them could give us tons more info — more than having them rot for another 15 years?
This entire board is blinded by their hatred of Obama. Obama loves his kids and America as much as any of us.

Maxwell Cahill

Obama loves his kids and America as much as any of us.–TBB

—–
You’re projecting, Mr. Black.
Obama loves America as much as YOU do.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Which is completely.

Jeff Webb

Even after many years of observing Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes, and musicians, I’ve never seen anyone with the galactic, incalculable narcissism Obama has. At this point I wouldn’t go so far to say he’s a sociopath, but it takes one very cold individual to do some of the things he’s done over the years.
Politicians are a bad enough breed already, but it borders on the surreal watching a guy with Obama’s makeup in the most powerful position on Earth.

God bless your son, an American patriot.

Chester Bester

Too much drugs Webb-Master? Name one time you think you have gotten under my skin. Quite the opposite, I have confronted and tormented you, right from the start where you accused among others the Newtown parents of “exploit mongering” on behalf of their slain children and compared them to NAMBLA child molesters. Make no mistake Webb-Master, you will never live that down and I will be upyourasslikeagerbil until you man up and take ownership of your hatred and misery.

loupgarous

hate much?

Jeff Webb

Oh, you have NO idea, loup.
He’s returned 15-20 times (lost count, really) under various names since he was banned over a year ago. He’s even used computers away from home to get back in.
Living inside his head this long hasn’t been too comfortable, but at least it’s roomy.

loupgarous

Airy, even, to judge from his words.

Honey Boo-Hoo

Flattery will get you nowhere Webb-Master. Neither will whining to your cult followers. They cannot help you. Know what can help you? Man up and take ownership of your hatred and misery. You want me off your back and not under your skin? Apologize to the Newtown parents for equating them to NAMBLA child molesters. Otherwise you will never live that down. You will never shut me up. and …

YOU WILL NEVER TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK !!!

http://theromancatholicvote.com/ catholicvoter

A smart president would not have made the swap he made. As for Rice, she is just as corrupt as the rest of the administration, plus she gets promoted for appearing idiotic on TV in an effort to make Obama look good, which has become impossible.

Bob Olden

“We don’t negotiate with terrorists!” I’ll say we don’t. Terrorists: Hey, give us our 5 top guys you captured and you can have this deserter of yours.” Obama: “Okay!”

4deuce

Imagine the doormat team Obama would field if he owned an NFL franchise. He would only draft and start those who bought into his massive ego and believed him when he made them promises. Such a team would be spectcular in the area of tingling-legs but they would all be too blind and stupid to comprehend or remember the contents of the Obama playbook. Of course, Team Obama would lead the NFL in punting.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

We do not leave our soliders behind. Period.

http://theromancatholicvote.com/ catholicvoter

He was a soldier before he deserted. Once he decided to leave, he should have been on his own.

http://theromancatholicvote.com/ catholicvoter

Correct, Terri! But we should certainly leave traitors behind.

Blakely1

Look at it this way. Obama did get the VA scandal off the front page
&he had one of those Dog & Pony shows that he so loves.
It looks as if the Sun is still shining on Obama.

George Williams

Any predictions on how he’ll get this new scandal off the front page? This takes wackamole to a new level.

Blakely1

He will think of something.That is one thing that he can do,
distract.He is a Master at Gamesmanship. Too bad he can’t
lead.

George Williams

Is another scandal in the works?

Drew Page

With this administration another scandal is always in the works. In hindsight, it almost appears as if cavalcade of scandals were planned for the purpose of each taking the prior scandal off the front page. Whether they were planned or not, this is what has happened. Each new scandal, which the administration labels as ‘phony, and each new unlawful act perpetrated by the president and/or his administration, which his loyalists defend and the MSM ignore, creates a numbness to it all among Americans who grow weary of being outraged and have become resigned to feeling powerless to stop it. The Obama administration has learned how to take advantage of this numbness and weariness.

I’m sure Obama feels impervious to criticism, as he has won re-election to a second term and learned there really isn’t much his critics can stop him from doing. No one has been able to hold him or any in his administration “accountable” for their lies, broken promises, illegal actions and evasions. Impeachment proceedings would be attacked as vindictive racism by his defenders. It would only prove to be counterproductive and yet another distraction prior to an upcoming election. The only way to change the course of this country is to generate the largest turnout possible of conservative, Independent, Libertarian and Republican voters to take control of the House, Senate and as many Governor races as possible.

4deuce

What most bothers me is the knowledge that were he able to run for a third term, he would probably win again.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

That’s because this country is completely fed up with our current crop of GOP in Congress.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

It depends on what the GOP can work up. So far, nothing much has stuck. Lack of facts and all.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

I thought the wachamole comment was funny.

Steve Bryant

Replays of the Rose Garden ceremony strangely leave out the glowing look of affection on Obama’s face as the father speaks in the Arabic dialect. It’s worth noting.

And what folks apparently don’t understand is that the propaganda effort is immense, from the media (duh) but including the educational establishment, entertainment industry, government union monopolies, and more I can’t think of. They enable the Obama Progressives to blatantly lie, obfuscate and stonewall. No Republican could get away with 1% of it. But that is a reality and until conservatives understand why this is and fight against that, it’ll be same old, same old for ever! There is a vicious hatred of Republicans, of free enterprise and freedom itself. I live in Progressive Heaven, $15 Seattle.

Count yourself as lucky Sam, that’s only about $12.00 a day. Try parking at the O’Hare parking garage next to the terminals, it runs about $35.00 a day. Hotel parking in downtown Chicago runs about the same. A few more years of enlightened Democrat “leadership” and you folks in Seattle will be right up there with Chicago, with unfunded public sector pensions, credit rating downgrades, inability to pay your bills, huge tax increases and the flight of businesses out of your state. Now THAT’S PROGRESSIVE.

Ted Crawford

That is indeed the goal of Progressivism, create the void and step-in with Government Corporations, staffed by Government Unions(?). “Here I come to save the day”!

ted

She is told what to say, as it appears Obama is told what to read. By whom I don’t have a clue.

LHS

How can you lie repeatedly, cover up and still receive a pension? Why are you not fired, as virtually ANYONE else in the private sector would be, and arrested, prosecuted and jailed for your crimes – and lose your pension besides? Because you work for the government?! This travesty must stop.

Every bit of this outrageous behavior has been planned. And they will continue to push to see how far they can go. Then….who’s going to stop them? Apparently everyone inside the Beltway is dirty and corrupt. Had I a crystal ball, I would probably see ugly things coming, but the ball is really unnecessary, isn’t it?

Drew Page

Term limits. We need to have term limits for every elected office. No person should be allowed to hold an elected office for more than eight years in their lifetime. Once limited to eight years in office, these positions would have to be considered temporary jobs and therefore not eligible for pensions. Let the politicians get their pensions from Social Security, individual IRAs, 401k or 403b plans, just like all the rest of America.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

The problem is that nobody has been able to come up with verifiable facts with which to prosecute. Only rumors and propaganda.

nepakandy

My take is that, just like a Roman Emperor, he amuses himself by seeing how far, and how often, he can manipulate the people.

Kent Kossoy

Bernie, I think that you are wrong on this one. This administration is my age or younger. They are of the affirmative action era. And I do not use that as code. In medical school, these were the kids given passes for entrance. They were stupid then, so why would you be surprised that they are stupid now?? Harvard, Columbia and Stanford had their share of these students.

Seattle Sam

Oh, Please. They are not stupid. Quite the contrary. In fact the Brits have an expression for them. It is “too clever by half”. It refers to someone who is so smart that they tend to over think or be excessively complex, with a resulting tendency to be unreliable or unsuccessful. They are the sort of people who in response to the question, “what time does the bus come?” will spend 10 minutes explaining the beauty of the computer algorithms that write the schedules — and miss the bus.

LHS

You were correct in your 2nd sentence, Seattle Sam. The rest I’ll argue. All of this has been planned for a long time. The question is whether the American people, as a WHOLE, are going to continue to take it and how will they stop it.

Seattle Sam

I don’t think there’s any question but that they will. Every two years 90% of incumbents are reelected. Imagine conducting a focus group among Ford owners. After two hours of listening to stories about poor quality, high operating costs and lousy service, you pose the question, “What brand will buy the next time you’re in the market for a new automobile?” Almost everyone says “Ford”. Now, is it Ford that is stupid or the buyer?

LHS

Or Chevy or Dodge, etc. No doubt, Seattle. Our quandary is how to brake the train enough to knock some sense into the these dupes – duped for about 50 years in our now indoctrinational schools – but it may be too late. We may have to bite it and claw our way back. Damn shame.

Drew Page

I’m afraid you are right. I think it’s going to have to get worse for the majority before it gets better. When enough people get fed up with having to work to provide for those who won’t, with politicians who keep selling them out in order to buy more votes and when the freebies get cutoff because we have run out of “other people’s money”, maybe then things will start to change for the better.

loupgarous

Oddly, the only time I bought a new car – all the way new, it was a Ford Aerostar van. Which left me stranded with a stalled engine because one of its two air-conditioner heat exchangers had spit a piece of metal into the compressor.

After not one, but two months of rent-a-cars because my new Ford was in the shop, I took advantage of Ford’s “Quality is Job One” ad campaign and screamed a Cajun English aria into the voice mail on their 1-800 “feedback” line, going into my dissatisfaction with the Ford marque in angry detail. A “sales engineer” came down from Dearborn to Houma, Louisiana the next week to defuse my anger, which had approached Wagnerian levels.

If Ford had been foolish enough to include ME in a focus group of Ford owners, they wouldn’t have gotten “Ford” out of me wnen the question “Which brand will you buy… ” To the extent I have brand loyalty now, it’s with Subaru.

The moral: when an incumbent screws the pooch hard enough, even he’ll lose his customer’s business. The key is in the customers all getting together about the problem.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

“All of this has been planned for a long time.”

This is nothing more than paranoia and is not based on verifiable facts.

LHS

Well, Terri, perhaps if our own Attorney General would cooperate with CONGRESS and supply actual information it demanded, by law, we could let the facts see the light of day. You remember him don’t you? Eric Holder – he was slapped with contempt of Congress and has dragged his heels on anything that might reveal your beloved, self-appointed king’s faults and plans. He’s been at it since the Clinton years. Read Rules for Radicals, Terri. It’s all in there and being implemented. I suggest you wake up. It’s not paranoia when it’s slapping you in the face.

loupgarous

No, actually, Kent’s right – and you are too. This is the Millenial Entitlement Culture, the ones who cling to their feeling that they are owed 150 years’ accrued interest on “40 acres and a mule” each, and have brought the tendency to over-think these matters to the game.

The result is an Eric Holder who bellows “I didn’t come here to prosecute my own people,” a Michelle Obama who “was never proud to be an American” until her husband was elected President, and a Barack Obama who, confronted with his twenty years’ attendance at a church presided over by a mouthy racist, threatened the press with a “discussion of the race issue.”

They, in effect, are race baiters on smart drugs. Their invalid premises, they believe, have been magically validated by passing through Ivy League educations.

When I started freshman chemistry class, pocket calculators had just become affordable. My professor in frosh chem class affably told us he didn’t mind us using pocket calculators during tests, as “I’ve gotten some of the most precise wrong answers I’ve ever seen with them.”

And so it is with Team Obama. They’re wrong, but expensively so, their vanity, self-delusion, burning resentment and greed for other people’s money pseudovalidated by the most expensive educations on the continent. Obviously, however, not the BEST educations.

Drew Page

When I see what’s coming out of Harvard these days I’m not impressed by its alumni or its professors. Touting someone as a “Harvard” grad is as much a liability as it is a credential.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

No matter how they got in, they graduated on their own work. Period.

Kent Kossoy

That is not correct. In fact I was paid as a tutor for several of these students, white, black or even female. So it wasn’t on their own merits.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Sorry, but whether or not they had tutoring, they did their school work without help. Which makes it on their own merits.

Kent Kossoy

Yes I do recall many women on that list as well. Thank you for that reminder.

Steve in Texas

If we could send in a team to get Osama, why could we send a team for Bergdahl? You may be right Bernie, or maybe I’m a conspiracy theorist giving too much credit to the Administration.

Steve in Texas

Meant to say “why couldn’t we send a team for Bergdahl”

loupgarous

Interesting question. However, it’s an “apples and oranges” thing, Bergdahl wasn’t staying with the head of Al Qaeda and his wives in Abbottabad, who couldn’t move around a lot because of Osama bin Laden’s health problems – he was the guest of a band of Taliban who never slept twice in the same spot, probably. It’s possible they didn’t even communicate with their cell leader electronically, but by courier, so not even NSA could pinpoint his location. Hiding Bergdahl was a much simpler proposition than hiding Osama.

FloridaJim

Susan Rice is one more inept government employee devoid of honor, morals and dignity. Obama/Hillary told her to lie about Benghazi which she did 5 times and then was promoted to her position which has a lifetime pension and benefits for being untruthful. When you lie once it starts a chain of lies, see Obama -Obamacare, Benghazi,, IRS, TSA,NSA,DOJ, border fraud et al.
Most of the Obama administration consists of liars we see them daily spewing the democrat talking points as if they were Gospel yet knowing they are lying.

Beel

The point is, he hasn’t been charged with anything, let alone convicted. In America we place high importance on “leave no man behind” and “presumption of innocence.” Evidently not Bernie in either.

Not surprised it didn’t occur to him that, given she was high school valedictorian, Phi Beta Kappa at Stanford, and Rhodes scholar. he might be the stupid one.

And neither has he been found to be dishonorable, only allegations. Criminy, y’all talk the talk loud about the Constitution, innocent until proven guilty, free speech, etc., but you don’t walk the walk when the walking gets tough.

We bring him home as we should, then if warranted try him.

George Williams

No. There is a limit to the no man left behind concept. If ten good men are projected to die for the sake of one man, regardless of his character, it makes little sense to make the effort. And for an officer to send patrol after patrol out to risk their lives for the sake of a man they firmly believe to be a deserter makes no rational sense at all. I ask you, would you do so if you were of an absolute certainty that your comrade jeoarized the safety of the unit in this way? Unless you are a fool or a liar, you would say no. To jeopardize the lives of the people of Afghanistan by freeing 5 men who would return to the fight to put them back in the chains of Sharia Law is immoral, but that’s what our president and his administration have no compunctions in doing. If I were the Afghanis, I would feel betrayed, and rightly so. It’s disgusting how we treat our friends an work to undo all that our soldiers have fought and died for, but that’s our president for you, loyal to himself and no other.

Beel

Yes, there are limits, allegations with no proof is not one. He was a soldier in good standing at the time of his capture. If he walked off, then once he is home, then he faces consequences.

Sad you also don’t hold with the long standing presumption of innocence. Very un-American of you.

George Williams

I’ve served my country during Desert Shield/Storm and during the recent war in Iraq. Just what have you done to be called a patriot or to take the moral high ground over me?

Beel

Well, I simply took the moral high ground. What have you done that prevents you from doing likewise?

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Then you should know better than this. Shame on you.

John Probst

die at the hands..he JOINED them

Beel

Again, you don’t know that, pinhead.

loupgarous

And Bernie didn’t suggest that he ought to have been left behind. Your local school board can put you in contact with reading comprehension classes, if you missed where Bernie said that it would have been acceptable for Obama to simply say “I wanted to get that American out.”

Beel

Obviously you should work on your reading comprehension as I never said he did, loupie.

Tim Ned

I can’t find any commentary in this article that Bernie is suggesting leaving Bergdahl behind.

But on the comments by Rice; do you really think that her outlandish Sunday commentary and her recent follow up is someone you want as a Secretary of this administration? if she worked for me in PR, her Sunday comments would have had her packing her bags on Monday; if I would have waited that long.

loupgarous

Bernie wasn’t talking about leaving Bergdahl behind – but the transparent tissue of lies which surrounded Bergdahl’s release was a cynical insult to the nation’s intelligence as well as to most men and women who DO serve or HAVE served our country with honor and distinction – something which it’s not clear Bergdahl has.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Did I miss Bergdahl’s trial? I didn’t think that had happened yet.

In THIS country he is considered innocent unless he is convicted, in a court room not the media, of being guilty.

That had to be true here, and it has to be true with all of these so-called allegations and rumors. Without verifiable facts, and a trial in a court of law, the naysayers have nothing.

loupgarous

I was very clear in my statement. Barack Hussein Obama and his henchmen and henchwomen, including Susan Rice, lied transparently about Bergdahl’s service, which has not been ruled on by a court martial, Article 32 hearing, or any other competent legal forum, as having been “with honor and distinction”.

You just can’t read simple English sentences. It explains your evident political choices.

Given the circumstances under which Sgt. Bergdahl came to be in enemy custody, no statement regarding his service “with honor and distinction” can be legally or morally made without a military hearing.

When assessing military service as having been characterized by valor, honor and distinction, a civilian determination would not be valid, since only soldiers can rule on the acts of other soldiers and apply the Uniform Code of Military Justice to them.

Susan Rice is the one speaking without verifiable facts, and given this administration’s corrupt love affair with secrecy when it makes mistakes and violates law, that will never change.

ScranunSlim

You missed Bergdahl’s trial — and grades 7-12

Beel

He didn’t, you are correct, but for what they do our soldiers have our respect. It is theirs to lose, so yes, Ms. Rice should assume, like we all do, that our soldiers are serving with honor until proven otherwise.

George Williams

No, with the evidence at hand, strong evidence thus far, the administration were made fools of by by asserting that he served with honor and distinction. And from what I’ve heard, there was no basis for stating that he served with distinction, even before he apparently deserted. Regardless of Rice’s idiotic statements, merely deciding to enlist is not a basis for making such a statement. “Serving with distinction” is reserved for soldiers who are being cited for their exceptional behavior, beyond that of the average soldier. Rice had no basis for that judgment but made that up to blindly support her community organizer. If the administration had any sense at all they would have reserved judgment until after a trial. I suspect that you haven’t heard the evidence made public to-date. There is no doubt that Bergdhal abandoned his unit, leaving them one man down in a situation where every man counts in the survival of the unit. That’s technically disertion and his fellow sodiers are righteous in their anger, as he put their lives in jeopardy. I’ll go with his platoon’s judgment. You can afford to overlook this and await a court of law for a judgment because your life has likely never been in danger under such circumstances. It’s just a case a matter of legal technicality to you as an armchair judge.

Beel

tl;dr but especially since the first line was such nonsense. Allegations are not evidence. You don’t know the story. I don’t know the story. It’s all as yet supposition.

While he may have been less than honorable, and from the gossip it sounds like he may have been, we don’t treat people as such until it is proven otherwise, but especially soldiers serving our country.

I know it’s hard, but try and show these good American values even when it is difficult.

George Williams

“While he may have been dishonorable, it’s thus far only gossip saying so, and we don’t call people such until it’s proven true, but especially soldiers serving our country.”

Gossip? What a laugh. Statements from his former friends in his unit, first person accounts, is hardly gossip, as much as you would have it. Tesitimony not be made before a judge and jury is not invalid just because it isn’t in a venue specified by you. They alread made public very credible public statements that few people would hae reasn to question. I have no doubt that his former comrades will testify before a court marshall and make moot your silly arguments.

Beel

He was alone when he disappeared so, yes, for now pure conjecture. The military even gave him promotions during his captivity. Sorry, but the laugh is on you.

George Williams

Until he is convicted of charges he is entitled to the automatic promotions due his time in service. Major Nadal was collecting a pay check long after he was shot in the process of committing mayhem on Fort Hood, for what your boss BHO considers to be workplace violence. I suppose that was because their was a lot of doubt that he committed the crimes that were witnessed by dozens of people. You’re a joke.

Beel

Duh, that’s what I’ve been saying. Allegations are not proof. Even the military gets it, sorry you don’t. (Were he my boss, he’d be your boss, too, idiot.)

Tim Ned

I highly doubt that Secretary Rice took into consideration how Bergdahl served and I am leaning to the fact she was clueless. How could one explain her Sunday talking points. I agree that Bergdahl deserves his day in judgement and it guaranteed that by our great country and that is not the dispute.

Rice and this President but Bergdahl at center stage and in affect pronounced his innocence in their statements. It is the job of the system to determine his conduct of service, not Rice’s.

Beel

Nope, they didn’t pronounce his innocence, what they didn’t do is treat him as guilty. Stick with the facts to make your point.

The last thing we want is the federal government declaring any of us citizens as guilty before we’ve had our day in court.

It was the right thing to do to retrieve him and, it’s Rice’s job to treat him as she would treat any soldier, as honorable – at least until the “system” determines otherwise.

Again, it’s hard to swallow given the allegations, but that’s what we should do and Rice must do.

tim ned

Here are the facts; Rice clearly stated that Bergdahl served his country with honor and distinction. By the way, I support bringing Bergdahl home.

Beel

Yes, she did and the facts didn’t state otherwise. By the way, I have my doubts, just as most everyone else, but I still support bringing him home. We deal with our own.

I just read an article about a school disciplinary issue that seems appropriate – “Nobody touches my child but me.”

Homer

I don’t understand how so many people are misguided by Obama’s move. The sole purpose of the Bergdahl deal was to shift public attention from the VA scandal.

Bergdahl
Bergdahl
Bergdahl

Guest

Are you sure you don’t mean, Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi???

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

No, that’s already been through 7 investigations. None of them found wrong doing. They did find, however, that procedures needed to be changed and they were.

George Williams

Shooting oneself in the right foot is a rational response to distracting from the fact that you’ve already shot your self in your left foot?

Josh

Seems legit.

Maybe shooting both feet turns cries of “moron!” into pleas of pity.

Blakely1

Has it occurred to anyone that Bergdahl’s views of this country, echo Obama’s?
The soldier wanted to apologize to the Taliban. Obama apologized to

the world.
Why else are Democrats defending the soldier with such vigor?
IMO, someone on the White House staff has it in for Rice.

Guest

Just to the stupid people. (and hardly anyone outside his family is defending him, we bring ‘em home and if they’ve done something wrong, we take care of it, we don’t leave them to die at the hands of the enemy)

Blakely1

Ah, but Obama did leave 4 fine men to die. Why
is this soldier better than they were?

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

You do not know what you are talking about. You might want to read one of the reports from the 7 investigations about Benghazi. He did no such thing.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Why are we defending a soldier that has not been tried in a court of law and been convicted? Because this is the USA and we do not do otherwise.

BTW, it is not just Dems that are saying this. Most of the patriots of ALL party’s are saying this.

lark2

Based upon Mr. Obama’s own assessment of his performance as a student, his documented “activities” at Columbia and the great secrecy surrounding his academic records, it seems Mr. Obama’s admission to Harvard must have been related to Affirmative Action. Bernie says, Susan Rice was a high school valedictorian, Stanford Phi Beta Kappa, class of 86 and a Rhodes scholar. Ms. Rice certainly diminishes all those accolades. She certainly cannot hold a candle to Condoleezza Rice, Stanford Provost from 1993 to 1999. While they share a last name … they are certainly unrelated. Condoleezza Rice has earned 3 degrees including a Ph.D. in Political Studies. She attended the University of Denver and Notre Dame. Ms. Susan Rice however, can speak at Rutgers.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

School records are not public. Period. Get past it.

lark2

Mr. Obama wrote in his own book that he was a poor student who spent his time drinking beer and smoking dope. I judge people by their actions. Mr. Obama is not very smart. It is the Democrat media that constantly celebrates the Brilliance of Democrat candidates. More importantly. every aspect of a person’s background is fair game when the person wants to be President of the United States. Period. I won’t get past that. Actually, every aspect of a persons background needs to be investigated whether they want to be your child’s teacher or a policeman, or your doctor or lawyer. The mere fact that Mr. Obama is part Black does not mean we have to accept a background shrouded in secrecy. This has not been the standard for ANY president.

SkyCitizen

It’s OK Mr. President, go ahead and say it. I know how you really feel and want to say it. just let it out, it will be alright, After all, you are Barack Obama, no need for displacement with indirect Executive Orders. Just let it fly! Be direct. The press will cover for you, you have nothing to worry about. Here, let me write it for you and you can load it into your teleprompter. FU AMERICA. There now, doesn’t that feel better.

Find the Truth

We ALWAYS bring our troops home, even the guilty like Staff Sergeant Robert Bales who was convicted of murdering multiple people including children in Afghanistan. We didn’t turn him over to the Taliban, we brought him home, tried him in a military court and sentenced him to life in prison. We don’t have enough information to convict Bergdahl of anything, the military will investigate and justice will be served IF he violated the UCMJ. To suggest that we leave ANY American service member behind is a betrayal of our military and absolutely un-American!

Judgmentday

Justice will NEVER be served when we have a commander-in-chief whose idea of justice is selling the soul of America to the closest and highest bidder who typically represent the most vile regimes on earth. As for Bergdahl, there’s enough evidence right now to have him arrested as a traitor and deserter, somewhat similar to our very own joke of a president.

Find the Truth

Yet another over the top, absolutely absurd reaction with NO truth to it…trading five Taliban who have been in captivity for 12 years is NOT selling the soul of the nation. The Taliban never was and never will be a threat to the United States of America, they had the capabilites (at the start of the war) of a 19th century military and were routed quickly. It’s apparent you don’t know the history of our nation, we’ve dealt with scoundrels and thugs around the world for our entire history and we ALWAYS bring our people home. You know nothing other than what you’ve read in the media about Bergdahl, how about you let the competent members of the military decide his fate before you cast judgement? You’re not qualifed to do so…

Judgmentday

“Find the Truth” is obviously a moniker sustained by someone who doesn’t know how to read or comprehend. Where does it say I’ve decided his fate? Read what I wrote over and over and over until you understand it. Or do you need more of an explanation? And, your remark about the Taliban not being a threat to the U.S., have you ever thought about doing your due diligence in finding out how many Americans have been killed by their cutthroat scullions? As a retired professor of American History at the university level, I can quite assure you that my competence in my discipline is far superior to yours. And I base that on your more-than-idiotic remark on how we ALWAYS bring our people home. That certainly worked well in Vietnam, didn’t it?

Find the Truth

It’s obvious you’re clueless, let me make it plain and simple for you simpleton…the Taliban have NO capability to harm the mainland of the United States of America, they have no airplanes, no warships, no tanks, no nothing. Our military has sustained damage because they have been ambushed while on the home turf of the Taliban and because it’s a war, we’re shooting at them and they are shooting at us. You obviously are not familiar with the concept. If you’ll READ my comment, I NEVER said a single word about YOU deciding his fate, I said we should allow the military to decide his fate BEFORE you make a judgement. Simply put, that means waiting until the evidence is presented and the charges brought or not brought and a verdict is rendered. You’re opinion of what he did or did not do is irrelevant as is mine, rational thinking individuals understand that. I’m not sure you will… I could care less what you taught, I myself was in education and I certainly know that not all are qualified, you may be among that group…

Judgmentday

“…how about you let the competent members of the military decide his fate before you cast judgement?” You didn’t say that in your first post?I didn’t realize I was debating someone whose memory bank got robbed at birth.

And to make yourself look even more intellectually impotent, you don’t even recognize that the Taliban, al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah and the rest of the terror groups who inhabit the world ALL have operatives in the U.S.! But you probably don’t think this is a threat to every American.

You’re so dumb that if you got locked in a mattress store you’d sleep on the floor.

Guest

Um, because a handful of “operatives” in this country is not a threat to every American. Don’t be stupid.

If you want to call someone dumb a name, look in the mirror. You can’t go wrong.

Judgmentday

How quickly would you change your mind if one of these “operatives” beheaded your mother? BTW, why not just stick to the subject of Bergdahl? Too difficult for your pea-sized brain?

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

We’re not the ones that are attempting to try a US soldier in the press instead of in a court. That would be you. And it is about as Unconstitutional as it gets.

Find the Truth

You’re lost and I can’t help you…I suggest you read the Constitution of the United States particularly the sections that deal with the power of the Commander in Chief and the section that deals with the Presidential power to grant pardons and reprieves. Congress has NO OVERSIGHT OR CHECK on a Presidents power in these particular areas…It’s obvious that you live in fear.

George Williams

An overarching principle is the idea that we do not sacrifice the good of the nation for the individual. Soldiers go to war expecting to sacrifice themselves for their country. Sacrificing the country for the good of the soldier makes a mockery of his sacrifice. We do not trade soldiers for war criminals. That would be like trading Herman Goering or the German general staff for a private during WWII. Such an act would have injured many more soldiers and contrary to the interests of the war effort as a whole. We bring soldiers home only when we don’t have to sacrifice the nation’s honor or safety to do it.

Find the Truth

Please, these guys were Taliban and NOT the leadership of the 3rd Reich, pretending there is a comparison is absurd. The Taliban drives 1970’s Toyota pickups or ride horses, they are cave people with NO ability to do harm to the United States. In addition Our military eliminated them as the governing power in Afghanistan in about a week. Tell me why you would make such an absurd comparison???

George Williams

Our government is now abandoning Afghanistan and the fate of its people to the Taliban’s efforts to retake the country. We can only guess how many U.S. soldiers died to capture these five leaders, and in one fell swoop, Obama trades these men for a deserter who our troops once risked their lives to save. How many living and maimed soldiers would agree with Obama’s acions? Just how would you have felt if your lieutenant told you that you had to risk your neck for a man who abandoned his comrades for a rendezvous with the Taliban? These 5 will now go back to Afghanistan and work to re-install the Taliban, and tyranical Sharia Law which will be used to repress women, punish citizens with death if they commit adultery, murder homosexuals and use corporal punishment for what in the West would consider minor violations of society’s norms. I doubt that we’re going back to save the Afghanis if and when the war goes against those who we once considered worthy of our friendship, so getting cavalier about how long it took to drive them out will not be solice to the new victims of Obama’s bad military policies. The whole philosophy of the Taliban is fidelity to the way of flife of the 8th Century. They successfully subjugated an entire nation even with their primitive government. Only a fool would make light of their success.

Find the Truth

Abandoning??? Please…we have been there for over 12 years, defeated the majority of the Taliban, put a new government in place and helped create a new Afghan military, a military that MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROTECTING ITS OWN COUNTRY. It is NOT the job of the US military or the US government to act as a proctectorate for another country FOREVER. The Constitution gives ONLY the President the powers of Commander in Chief AND the power to grant pardons and reprieves. Once again, you’re convicting Bergdahl of a crime that the military itself has not yet done. We’ve been in many wars as a nation, we’ve had deserters in EVERY one of them, generally 1000’s of them, BUT we’ve ALWAYS brought them home and to justice if they were found guilty.

George Williams

No. There is a limit that a nation, including ours puts on the cost of POWs. We should not compromise our honor, the safety of our nation and that of our allies. Obama has done all three with his surrendering of enemy personnel who will not only go back to the fight and kill our soldiers, motivate the capture of our personnel, at least until the last man leaves, and will work to subjugate the people of Aghanistan and reverse all our efforts in U.S. soldier lives and make our financial expenditures a loss of fruitless precious national treasure. It’s obvious that you’ve never served, or you would never be so cavalier in your feelings that we should abandon Afghanistan to the Taliban.

Find the Truth

Part 2″

“They say it’s because Bergdahl is a deserter, that he could be a traitor.

And maybe he is. Maybe he’s both.

And maybe he isn’t.

We don’t know. No one knows, except for Bergdahl himself.

And Bergdahl has neither admitted his guilt nor proclaimed his innocence as yet. There’s been no Article 32 hearing, no trial, no court-martial. The military and the intelligence agencies haven’t even begun his debriefing. All we know for certain is that an American soldier was taken captive by the enemy, held for years, and returned as part of a prisoner exchange. That’s it. That’s what we know. We don’t know what events led to his capture, not all of them, not yet. We don’t know the details of his captivity. We don’t know the particulars of his release beyond the broad details that have been published in the press.

Nevertheless, Bergdahl has been condemned by the popular media, by social networks, by pundits and politicians, not because they know more about the situation than you or I do, but solely because they hate the president. If Obama was behind Bergdahl’s release, then Bergdahl is a traitor, Q.E.D. because the president must never, ever, be allowed even the slightest acknowledgement of patriotism.

This condemnation isn’t about Bergdahl, it’s about Obama.”

Certainly, some of Bergdahl’s fellow soldiers say he deserted. That he was disillusioned with the war, with America, that he left his guard post and walked away into the desert in some foolish and quixotic attempt to reach China. They say that men, good men, real heroes, died searching for Bergdahl after he disappeared.

And those soldiers, they’d probably know, wouldn’t they?

And, yeah, if I was one of them I’d be damned resentful too and I have no doubt whatsoever that I’d use this blog to protest those who would attempt to paint Bergdahl as a hero – if I knew for certain that he deserted, if I’d lost friends searching for him.

I don’t begrudge those soldiers one iota of their resentment, they earned it with their own blood.

And let’s say it’s true.

Let’s say for the sake of argument that Bergdahl is indeed a deserter, that his capture by the Taliban was a result of his own cowardly actions.

So?

So what?

Last time I checked, the punishment specified for violation of UCMJ Article 85 (or Article 86 depending on Bergdahl’s intentions) isn’t to throw him to our enemies!

Ultimately, Bergdahl will have to face his accusers, and if the allegations of desertion are proven true then he will answer for the crime of desertion as specified under the Uniform Code of Military Justice – which technically could include the death penalty since the desertion is alleged to have occurred during time of war and in the face of the enemy. Far more likely, of course, if Bergdahl is convicted of desertion he’ll probably get little more than a bad conduct discharge and forfeiture of any benefits. It’s unlikely that he’d see prison time – and, really, how would that even be a punishment compared to what he’s already been through? Likely he won’t ever face a hearing and he’ll be administratively separated from the service at the Army’s earliest possible convenience.

But, and here’s the thing so pay attention, even if Bergdahl is tried and found guilty of desertion, even if he’s found guilty of treason as some would have it, he’ll go to prison – we won’t give him back to the Taliban.”

Find the Truth

Part 3:

“For the last two years, these very same people have been screaming for Obama’s impeachment, because the President ordered the targeted killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American who publicly renounced his citizenship, declared his allegiance to our sworn enemies, and who then actively took up arms against the United States and loudly encouraged others to do so as well. These same people would sacrifice untold numbers of American soldiers to capture a self-declared terrorist and give him a trial because they simply cannot and will not acknowledge that the president did the right thing, but these very same people would condemn Bergdahl and leave him to rot in Afghanistan without so much as an Article 32 hearing, solely to further their blind hatred of Barack Obama.

For the last eighteen months these very same people have been screaming for Obama’s impeachment. Impeachment? Hell, some of these silly sons of bitches, including sitting members of Congress and members of the military, have marched on the White House demanding the actual overthrow of the United States government and the imprisonment or death of the President, because four Americans died in Benghazi, Libya. They are outraged, outraged beyond logic, beyond prudence, beyond reason, because they believe Obama didn’t do absolutely everything possible up to and including an armed military invasion to save those men. But these same people, these very same people, would leave an American soldier to die at the hands of the Taliban and they refuse to cheer his safe return, solely because they hate Barack Obama beyond all rational bounds and they will not allow this administration any victory no matter how small – even when they themselves have been condemning Obama for leaving an American serviceman in the hands of our enemies.
“

Find the Truth

Part 4:

“We don’t negotiate with terrorists?

Jesus Haploid Christ, we do business with terrorists on a daily basis and have all the way back to WWII when we contracted with the Mafia to run arms into occupied Sicily.

We don’t negotiate with terrorists, what a fucking joke.

Answer me a question, if we can sell arms to terrorists, to our own enemies, then you tell me why we can’t negotiate with those same terrorists for the return of our own people.

If our people aren’t worth it, if they aren’t worth more than the value we place on arm sales and political maneuvering, then you go right on and tell me what all the shouting is about over Benghazi. Go on, I’ll wait.

If our people aren’t worth four or five terrorists sitting in a Gitmo prison cell, then you tell me why we’ve spent the last twelve years in two wars, why we traded the lives of six thousand servicemen and why we killed hundreds of thousands Iraqis and Afghans to avenge three thousand Americans. Go on, tell me why it was okay for the previous administration take a hundred enemy lives for every one of ours, but it’s not acceptable for the current administration to trade five terrorists for the life of one American soldier – especially when we gave six American lives as a down payment looking for him after his disappearance. Why were the Americans who died on 911 any more valuable than Bowe Bergdahl?

And if Bergdahl is guilty of desertion, then don’t we owe it to those six dead soldiers to bring him home and make him account for his cowardice?”

George Williams

“If our people aren’t worth four or five terrorists sitting in a Gitmo prison cell, then you tell me why we’ve spent the last twelve years in two wars, why we traded the lives of six thousand servicemen and why we killed hundreds of thousands Iraqis and Afghans to avenge three thousand Americans. ”
The biggest problem with this argument is that we are still in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban. Surrendering the five terrorists gives aid and comfort to the enemy, a crime under federal law. The Taliban will now be encouraged to make an effort to capture more soldiers for trade, endangering the lives of many, perhaps resulting in deaths and more hostages. How many soldiers gave their lives to capture the 5 terrorist? I know for a fact that our solders currently serving in our Army are totallly opposed and outraged at what Obama did, but your master never considered their feelings, did he? Surrendering them made a mockery of the six thousand who died in the twelve years of wars, but that goes right over your head, doesn’t it?

Find the Truth

and we’ll be out of an active combat role by the time these people return to Afghanistan…”giving aid and comfort to the enemy”??? Where in the hell did that come from??? Nobody is AIDING these guys, they were locked up in Gitmo for TWELVE YEARS, hardly what any sane or rational person would call “aid”. The Taliban will do what they do…they got one prisoner during the entire war, I doubt they’ll even get close to another. You’ve got it backwards pal, NOT retrieving one of our own makes a mockery of the entire war and the sacrafice of those who died…READ the WHOLE LETTER.

George Williams

I guess you’ve forgotten about why we invaded Afghanistan in the first place. Remember 9/11 and the terrorists that took down the World Trade Center were trained there? Must be the mind altering drugs that you take. Returning their leadership to Afghanistan serves to give aid and comfort to an enemy that we’ve never made peace with. The morale of the Taliban must be riding pretty high right now, and if they got the idea that the rest of the country used your kind of logic, they’d feel that every day was equivalent to our Christmas. Your also an idiot by saying that a lack of prisoners is a measure of their failure, when they probably weren’t interested in prisoners, but seeing heads roll. No, I deal with the military every day, and they hardly see this issue as you do. Bergdhal is seen as a deserter, a man who abandoned his unit and left them one man down, one man who could make a difference in life and death his comrades. You are the most ignorant fool I’ve ever encountered in this blog, exceeding Legal Eagle by far.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

We invaded, along with a lot of other country’s, because bin Laden was hiding there. Have you forgotten that? After we got bin Laden we made plans to leave. And that is what we are doing. Don you really have a problem with that?

George Williams

Yes, I can envision Obama as our leader in WWII, giving up the fight based upon an arbitrary timetable where victory is not necessary, only running out a set time on a timer.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

We will be out of Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Find the Truth

Part 5:

“Whether or not Bowe Bergdahl is a hero or a deserter or just a hapless fool who screwed up under the enormous pressures of war, he’s still an American.

He’s one of ours and and there’s only one thing to say:

Welcome home, Soldier.

Welcome home.”
_________________
I don’t need to add anything…

Tim Ned

Do you agree with spiking the ball in the end zone for this guy as Obama and Rice did? That’s the question here. They could have played this much differently as Bernie suggested and they didn’t. They sent Rice out with the same old bull that they have used in the past. And it’s not working this time.

George Williams

Legal Eagle, where are you when we need to abuse you when you attempt to defend the indefensible?

SkyCitizen

Check under his desk.

George Williams

He’s hiding because he’s finally come to the realization that it’s impossible for him to keep up with the pace of defending the indefensible acts of this president.

Connie Lingus

Blow it out your blowhole you bloviating blowhard

Sue

Just because Obama went to Columbia and Harvard, does not make him have the abilities to be a good president. I think an ex ‘service’ officer or even a good business man would do much better. Better yet, how about an ex-general who is now a business man. He would be able to take care of our wars and our economy.

Tim Ned

“A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that’s true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not.” Ronald Reagan’s address to the nation on March 4, 1987 pertaining to Iran-Contra.

You are correct Bernie, most Americans will understand today, just as we did in 1987.

loupgarous

Reagan was capable of making a humiliating admission like that. He could simply have stonewalled Congress and the American public and declined to cooperate with the Iran-Contra hearings at all. It remains to be seen how Obama will deal with a determined look into how he and his administration handled Benghazi, and the atmosphere of lies and nasty expedience around the whole episode,

Tim Ned

I truly believe that Reagan, when he become President, understood that he represented all Americans. Not like the current administration.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

” It remains to be seen how Obama will deal with a determined look into
how he and his administration handled Benghazi, and the atmosphere of
lies and nasty expedience around the whole episode,”

Since it’s already been investigated SEVEN TIMES, what is the point of spending time and money to do it again?

loupgarous

When the Obama administration makes witnesses available who can throw light on the situation being investigated, we’ll see.

Until then, Obama’s campaign promise of “unprecedented transparency in government” is just another lie of his.

wally12

Bernie, you are correct, Susan Rice is the fall guy for Obama and his administration. However, she has the same expectations as the radical Muslims who believe their reward will come in heaven. Ms. Rice’s reward will come through more promotions and as someone else said by a president appointment to some large university.
Now for an insight into Obama and his stupidity or genius. The NSA, the CIA and the FBI know what I had for breakfast, how many beers I had last night and my complete medical records. How can the president who has the the keys to the nuclear push button and has access to all these agencies plus the State Department, Defense Department and three hand fulls of consultants play total ignorance to events that are taking place under his watch? The answer is, of course, that he just says he hasn’t been told. Those statements by him not knowing are part of his plan. He knew that he signed the law that required him to consult with congress for any prisoner exchanges. He also knew he wouldn’t get approval. Thus, he used his old standby of not consulting with the congress. Besides, his main objective was not to get Bergdahl back home. It was to get the top 5 terrorists out of Gitmo. His objective to get those 5 out of Gitmo makes getting all others out of Gitmo so much easier. He will use his logic that the remaining prisoners are so low level of danger that keeping them in prison has zero relevance.
Obama has shown that he will use an abuse of presidential power to do whatever he feels is necessary. It is past the time that Obama be impeached for abuse of presidential power.

Judy

I’m really smart and I know how to spell, but I don’t know how to edit my comment.

Guest

you spelled “agenda” wrong ;o) Just a tease.

Sue

Judy, you just spelled agenda wrong. Just a tease…I know it was a typo. I tried editing here and I don’t think there is any way except to “delete” and start all over again. Also, why do they have “edit” under my reply, but not under the original message. Something has to be changed.

Judy

Really smart people can be blinded by adgenda.

George Williams

Let me point out the fact that the war in Afghanistan does not end with our unilateral departure from the battlefleld. The Afghanis continue to fight for their political rights and very lives. I find what we’ve done hpothetically analagous to landing on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944, with the British at our side and the Russians advancing rapidly from the East, then deciding that it was time for us to leave, and giving captured members of the German general staff back to Hitler because, in our president’s eyes, the war was over.

http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrodriquez RMIROD

Its all about controlling the message from cradle to grave with stovepipe ideologue drones. Get enough of them running your institutions like education (common core), the 4th Estate (print & broadcast media) bureaucracies (aparachiks) and Judiciary (layers & judges) and you can turn your society into a libertine cesspool all behaviors are morally equivalent, but wait until your children start disappearing from schools to service all your pedophiles.

Its what you asked for when you keep voting for morally corrupt men and women.

Gloria

And the father speaks in some foreign language during the White House photo op! Is this not disturbing to anyone? An American father speaking to his American soldier son in the tongue of his captors? Maybe I am wrong but I found this to be offensive.
Now I do have an idea to get our imprisoned soldier out of Mexico – send back five (thousand) illegals in a straight up trade for the guy. That could work!

George Williams

We give foreign aid to Mexico and tolerate their contempt for our sovereignty and fail to use our political leverage to get our way. It speaks volumes when our president won’t lift a finger for a citizen who has become the victim of Mexican corruption and human rights abuse.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Who, exactly, are you talking about?

Toots4u

I, too, was offended. However, Obama as a Muslim would see nothing wrong with that. That family should be ashamed of themselves and should move to Afghanistan or where ever they speak Pashti!

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Except that he is not a Muslim. And this country is made up of people of ALL ethnicity’s. It always has been.

Who are you to decide who lives in this country?

loupgarous

Actually, I think the guy’s father was honestly glad to get his son back and wanted to express gratitude to his captors for relenting. I’ve lost a son in combat. If a simple phrase of Arabic could have prevented his death and brought him home alive, you know damned well I’d say it, because I am not a proud man – not so proud that my pride would demand my son’s death. I wish people would stop harping on that part of this mess.

Barack Obama elected to throw a party during an occasion that called for somber gratitude and some searching questions to be answered first.

As it is, no one in our nation’s military will push very hard for Bergdahl to answer for any crimes he may have committed, for this president thinks nothing of dismissing men like General Stanley McChrystal from senior, responsible positions of command for something as trivial as an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Barack Obama received a military with an imperfect but working corporate sense of honor and gutted it for reasons we don’t know yet.

George Williams

Joseph Goebbles, the master of the “Big Lie” was extremely intelligent. He and Hitler had the German people enthralled up to the Allies invasion on 6 June 1944. Remember the “Big Lie”, that lie that if told repeatedly will overcome good sense and take hold as the fact?. Hitler had total control of the press and Obama has pretty much the same condition. That’s how the “Big Lie” held so much sway, and how Obama’s big liars have come to believe that anything they say will be believed by the masses.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

To equate Obama with Hitler is nothing less than stupid. Other than the fact that they are both human, there is nothing similar about them.

George Williams

“If you like your doctor you can keep him, period. If you like you insurance plan you can keep it, period.” Obama made no qualifiers. He didn’t refer to any potential whims of the insurance companie. He was adamnant that the people could keep their policies and doctors. Any qualifiers that exist were invented to mitigate Obama’s lies and nothing more.

D Parri

When Obama does stupid things like these, it is for one purpose–political gain. The strategy for achieving that gain varies, but Bernie is almost there in recognizing this tactic. Do something–however stupid–that will bring on an attack from the GOP. Then, in as indignant a voice as possible claim that the GOP is at it again, i.e., attacking the President, uh…I mean America’s firstblack president.

Lacking credibility is of no consequence to the left-wing SWAT team. With knives, axes, and spears sharpened, they are always able to score some game when they go after right-wing, conservative, and/or GOP targets.

Once the damage has been inflicted–and that often happens without any support of an actual, valid basis of facts–the claim of ‘racist’, or ‘anti-women’, or ‘anti-poor people’ can never be entirely reversed.

This has long been the Dem’s greatest tool–the tactic of slander and lies.

Seattle Sam

As Greg Gutfeld pointed out, based on Susan Rice’s definitions, Benedict Arnold served with honor and distinction.

George Williams

Greg was reading the collective minds of the remaining rational people in this country, including mine.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Actually, he did. Until he felt that the leaders of the rebels turned against him.

Collins Rose

Susan Rice is a loyal supporter of the President that he keeps kicking under the bus

Shane

It’s amazing that Obama could not understand that many Americans would find trading 5 Taliban officers for a deserter would be looked at as a bad deal. Obviously, Obama will not become an NBA general manager after his term is over!

cantonst

Bernie, what we need to pin down is the “Why” of everything the President has done in office…

SkyCitizen

Excellent point Cantonst. Unfortunately the Why” may never be understood by folks who are not as erudite as Barack Obama. After all, to question decisions that the average America could not possibly understand could be disrespectful to the President and probably, well you know……..

cantonst

Barack Obama is the “Manchurian” President. He has been conditioned from birth to do exactly what he has been and is doing to the America that his sphere of influence despises including the military. The rest are just self serving flunkies…

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

Are you really this self-centered and stupid? Do you have ANY verifiable facts to back you up?

cantonst

Yep! But r u worth sharing with?

Seven

This has nothing to do with education or intelligence. This administration could care less what is said or what is done, as long as their agenda is met. The cost matters little in the long run.

George Williams

Au contraire, it has everything to do with education. Obama and the steel filings attracted to his communist magnetic self are schooled in the propaganda machine of Alinsky and his Marxism.

Seven

That’s the point. Why wonder why these educated people say and do what they do. It does not matter to them what other think as long as what they want to happen, happens. It’s the end game they are after, no matter what anyone thinks. These ideas were around long before Carl Marx. Thank an emotional and uninformed public. There truly is nothing new under the sun.

MontanaMade

“As for Susan Rice, she needs to stay home on Sunday mornings”

I’d opt for her staying home- period!

633

Observations: the time imperative (he’s ill and might die) has an obvious fallacy: the post release medical information will refute the contention “we didn’t have the time” to talk to Congress. And a time imperative would not negate telling Congress anything: it simply would impact the schedule. Which is why we are now getting the “Taliban said they would kill him” if we discussed his release publicly meme. Absurd since the Taliban already had made several media releases in Asia regarding the potential exchange. And its hard to believe Baghdad Susie was unaware of the checkered military history. Pure and simple it was an exercise in reclaiming political impetus and changing the media (VA) topic. They hadn’t counted on the platoon personnel and Feinstein immediately committing truth (or the media actually agressively reporting it). The scarey reality here borders on narcissistic personality disorder: if it isn’t true it should be because we are they who deserve to be believed. Even more disheartening: the visceral left (see Dana Milbank in WAPO) defending the indefensible and pretending its simply a right wing fixation. Goldberg’s summary of the reality: he could have gone ahead if it weren’t for his ego is accurate. But the question arises: given the last year can you believe ANYTHING the administration says?

SkyCitizen

If the President attended less Harvard and watched more Star Trek he could have solved this hostage problem and made everybody happy.

” Eventually, Picard offers to trade himself for the hostages which were injured”
from “Power Play”/”Ethics” Season 5, Episode 16.

MontanaMade

Yeah, but Kirk would have hunted down the SOB’s, come up with some elaborate plan that didn’t work, blow up the Enterprise while doing a prisoner swap- stranding himself and crew in Afghanistan and somehow still kill the bad guys in hand to hand combat! Then Spock would ultimately find their way back to SF while knocking off a few Romulans in the process…

I see a new movie coming out…

Sonny

Never accepting responsibility and always blaming others is a personality disorder.

SkyCitizen

Yes, the prisons are full of folks like that.

Sonny

A few mentioned in this article need to join them.

Tim Bertram Black

Bernie… I agree that Barack and Susan Rice are incredibly intelligent, focussed individuals. But, I’m glad that you’ve learned that all people — regardless of how talented, intelligent, and focussed they are — can sometimes make mistakes.
It’s not so much that it took you 80 years to learn this; as that you learned it at all.
Congratulations, bern-bern! Fashion tip: dangly earring?

Sonny

Making mistakes? Their mistakes are based on lies for political gain. They lied directly in the faces of the Benghazi vixtims’ families.

SkyCitizen

Mistakes? These are mistakes like ebola is to acne.

As for fashion, I kind of picture Bernie with spurs and a six shooter.

Ksp48

Yes highly intelligent people can sometimes make mistakes. The issue here is how can Obama and Rice continue to make mistakes (some the same) over and over and over again. Indeed, what major thing (other than getting elected twice) has Obama done right? . What has Rice done right at all?

Stimpy

Learn to spell ‘focused’ smarty pants liberal.

Jeff Webb

I was more concerned with the “80 years” part, but then I remembered accurate statements and math skills are not liberal hallmarks.

George Williams

What is the basis for your concession that Obama and Rice are intelligent? Intelligence not only requires the ability to retain knowledge, but the ability to use that knowledge to come to a rational conclusion. Judging by the outcomes in foreign and domestic policy generated by this White House, I’d have to conclude that they are not very intelligent at all. A college education is a means to effecting an outcome in life, but unless you use it wisely, you’re a loser. Obama and his Marxist government is an administration of losers, as are those of us who feel the impact of their lack of wisdom.

Tim Bertram Black

Your beef is with the Bern-Bern… he wrote the column, not me.

George Williams

I have no beef with anyone, but apparently you’ve concurred with Bernie and I want to know why.

Barbara

Excellent points and, I believe, Obama does NOT care.

dantheman777

I agree with Bill Whittle that Obama is Evil and Stupid. He may even be the Anti-Christ.

Seattle Sam

I understand that Charlie McCarthy was very smart, too. But he could only say what Edgar Bergen told him to say.

Jim Price

Makes perfect sense, Bernie. We’re not talking about the VA, are we?

CQ

Mention must be made of Harry Reid, apparently backing the president by saying the is glad to be rid of the five detainees. As if by releasing the detainees he was getting them off the streets of the US. But there will be US soldiers in the Middle East for at least two more years – what will keep those ex-detainees from kidnapping and killing those who are still in harm’s way?

justintime

Sono4T: it was no accident that General Petreus’ affair became public. It was plain and simple pay-back because Gen. Petreus, an American Patriot, refused to play ball with Obama. It’s called politics.

justintime

Alex: Thank you. Excellent video. Spot on. “Transforming America” does not necessarily mean an improvement. Obama’s definition of “transforming America” means to deconstruct America, exactly what he is doing, Any yes, I believe he is evil.

Sono4T

I see BHO from the point of view that he wants to break the morale of the country one piece at a time. This last one was to directly demoralized the military, the power and might of the US. Jut about eveywhere you look as scandals go, he is destroying the pillars where America stands. He is trying to divide the country in all fronts, from class, race, status, church, women etc. To say Obama is intelligent is a joke, he has the charm of a snake oil salesman, that’s all. Obama’s disdain for the US are so clear; just have to look at his personal relationships previous to becoming president.
I always have thought General Patreus was set up and he has been told to keep quiet. Many succumb to payouts, when you see people claiming the 5th under oath and keep their jobs and bonuses.
There’s only one program on TV which calls Obama for what he is: Justice with Judge Jeannine Pirro. All the others including O’Reilly play it safe and ignore the truth.

Tim Bertram Black

From the movie “Stripes”… appropriate here: “Lighten up, Francis.”
The only people that might feel disenfranchised by Obama are you muling, whining, right-wing nutters. The rest of us have a lot of issues with Obama, too, but we don’t think for an instant that he has a “disdain for the US”… that is batwing craziness peevish, little man.

You write at a 5th grade level.

D Parri

@troll

And you write like a troll.

http://TrochilusTales.blogspot.com Trochilus

@dparri:disqus Yes. And, he thinks at a 5th grade level.

George Williams

What is it like to live under a bridge and roast children in the heart of winter?

SkyCitizen

Let’s see, first name call, agree in a minor way, name call again then insult the poster’s writing skill. Is it remotely possible you are a liberal?

Stimpy

As long as you are insulting his writing skills let me correct you again.
It is mewling, not muling, you mewling quim of a liberal.

Integrity

<> Please stop, my BS meter is pegged. QED

Tim Bertram Black

Obama never professed to be the hero of the left. He professed to be the hero of the center — which is America is far right of anything even close to being liberal.
Mccain or Romney would just be more Dubya… and maybe you’d like that… because dubya is your centerfold …. but he was never mine.

Ed I: you give them far too much credit than what they deserve. They knew how to run an election; they don’t know how to govern. That’s obvious to even the most casual observer.

justintime

As far as Susan Rice: open mouth, insert feet.

justintime

Alex: you make an excellent point, but we need to be careful not to over think this mess. The crowd in the White House make the “gang that couldn’t shoot straight” look like a bunch of sharpshooters.

Ed I

One could argue that they are all just arrogant or incompetent or both. Yet things have gotten much worse since the 2010 mid-terms. And contrary to Obama and Reid it is not the Republicans fault. Reid is the impediment in chief. Is it possible that all of this is deliberate? The idea being to leave the country in such a debacle mess that it will take decades to fix even if wise people take over in Washington. Of course many smart people do really dumb things. Yet they were politically crafty enough to get Obama elected twice so it would be easy to discount that this is all because they are incompetent.

Michael

Hmmm! I wonder if the Prez hasn’t outsmarted us. Is this plausible?: The prez needs to get Benghazi of his back and off Hillary’s back. No one believed Susan Rice’s talking points on Benghazi were her own. Surely the WH had to tell her what to say. But what if the WH gave her the talking points she used for the Bergdahl fiasco with the intention of showing her to be a smart person who keeps saying stupid things. Therefore, maybe the talking points on Benghazi were her own. If so the Prez and the Prez wannabe leave us to decide which it is. I realize this sounds desperate but maybe they are. Or maybe they are not as smart as we give them credit for. OMHO

justintime

Transplanted Texan: I could not have said it better. A college degree does not mature a person, no does it give them common sense and street smarts. What it does do is fill their heads with a bunch of garbage.

justintime

Barack Obama’s words and acts can easily be understood when put in a political context. This person has no conscience. Everything is about political expediency. Actions speak louder than words still applies. His purpose is to destroy America and his actions prove it.

Alex

These people are narcissistic and arrogant.
They continue to lie because think we are all stupid.
(There is some evidence for this because they continue to get away with it.)

John Lewis

Another example that the Prez will do and say whatever he wants no matter what the ramifications may be. Narcissist? Absolutely. Arrogance and/or Ignorance? Absolutely. Disgraceful? Bullseye

TransplantedTexan

Bergdahl’s father’s performance in the Rose Garden only confirmed what the soldiers that served with Bergdahl (and the Army’s own reports of the incident) are saying.

Allen B. West??? Are you kidding me? That man is the laughingstock of all things intelligent — including mice. Wow… you are unbelievably ignorant my friend.
This is my last correspondence with you because you aren’t worth the ink I’m using to write this (get it?).
This family is receiving DEATH THREATS from people like you.
Unbelievable.

TransplantedTexan

I have known some very well educated and, supposedly, highly intelligent (as measured by IQ) people who did not have common sense to come in out of the rain. They tend to congregate in academia and government service where a firm grasp on reality is not a job requirement. Or, with Rice, it could simply that she is not as capable of lying as her boss, the Liar-in-Chief.

john Illinois

My son works at a place where he is the only one who does not have an advanced degree. His boss told him that his main job is to show these smart guys how to pour the fluid out of their boots before they put their foot in it. He also shows them how the guy in the field is going to find the flaws in their fancy programs. He says that it is getting harder, the first time, it took him 5 minutes, now it takes an hour or so.

Jarob54

Ms Rice speakes what she is isnstructed to speak. No one, and I mean no can believe after this week that Bergdahl served with honor. I believe he is a deserter and should be treated as a deserter. I’m a vet and I know what the punishment should be in accordance with the UCMJ.
Now those that wittingly speak what they are instructed to speak and knowingly speak an untruth-lie are the most pitiful people going. Ms Rice may be hyper-educated but that does not pre-suppose she is an honorable person, which she is not.

http://TrochilusTales.blogspot.com Trochilus

Thank you for your service.

I think you are right. She is a willing prevaricator, and as the National security adviser,she certainly knew the entire back story on Bowe Bergdahl. Senators and House members should be clamoring for her immediate resigation, for once again lying to the American people. She not only said that he “served with honor and distinction” but she further stated that this was a such a “joyous day” given that he was being returned to peace and security and to his family.

Of course, we now hear that he reportedly took off his uniform and
walked off during guard duty at his outpost, and even left an “explanatory” note behind, which was found.

Many people have no idea how fundamentally offensive that was for someone to just walk off while on guard duty in one of those dangerous outposts.

You are not just deserting at that point — you are deliberately and immediately subjecting your fellow troops throughout the entire outpost (most of whom are likely sleeping) to the potential for a sudden relentless attack coming through that guard point.

One story even quoted an Afghan villager saying that, soon after deserting, the guy actually wandered into their village and asked them for directions on how to find the Taliban! He was apparently intentionally seeking out the enemy!

Another story quoted several of the soldiers from that outpost to the
effect that right after his desertion, they noticed that the attacks
(mortar, RPG, etc.) on the outpost became much more focused and
dangerous.

All of this was known to the Obama Administration when they made this “trade” for five highly placed Taliban leaders.

Honor and distinction to whom, Susan? The Taliban?

pagarymac

It’s way past time to realize that Obama is not an American President in the traditional sense. This wasn’t an event mishandled. This was a megalomaniac narcissist intentionally saying, “In your face America!” The “intelligent” fellow traveler Susan Rice is a narcissistic sycophant saying on his behalf, “Eat it America!”.

LAPhil

If Susan Rice had made all these misstatements (or better yet, lies) in an equivalent private sector position, she would be summarily fired and probably find it next to impossible to ever get another job once her reputation got out.

Uncle Dave

If Susan Rice had made all this misstatements (or better yet, lies) in a Republican presidency, she would have been roasted alive by now…

LAPhil

Truer words were never spoken.

George Williams

The incompetent have a high threshold for tolerating incompetence because they know their own inadeqacies.

Drew Page

I believe that the person at the top sets the tone for those reporting directly and indirectly to him. I have worked at a number of different companies over my working career and have always found this to be the case. If the top man gets away with being arrogant and dishonest and covers for his subordinates who do the same, his subordinates will follow that lead. Susan Rice isn’t an unusual appointee, she’s the norm. Her actions and words follow the pattern of Joe Biden, Eric Holder, Jay Carney, James Clapper, Hagel, Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Louis Lerner, Jan Napolitano, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Do you think any of these people are credible?

Perhaps it’s a common affliction among those who serve in any president’s administration. I believe such people are told that absolute loyalty to the president is expected and required. These folks develop an “us against the world” mentality. They see themselves as protectors and defenders of the presidency from any criticism, regardless of the cost to themselves or the country. Their first and only loyalty is to the boss, not the American people.

Why do smart people say and do stupid things? I think it’s because they believe themselves to be smarter than they actually are. They want to believe that they wouldn’t have been invited into the inner circle of power if they weren’t smarter than others. Kissinger had it right, power is the ultimate aphrodesiac and these people can’t do without it.

http://TrochilusTales.blogspot.com Trochilus

A great philosophy and history teacher who I had in college once told me that he thought it took a smart person to be stupid, or at least someone who should have known better. “Look, an idiot is an idiot,” he told me. “But by definition it takes a person who really ought to know better, to do something really stupid. That’s the difference.”

Whether it’s a product of arrogance, or some other form of willful blindness, being stupid is clearly an outward display of bad judgment frequently triggered as a result of a serious character flaw. At some point, it will stand out like a sore thumb.

In politics, one of the most interesting manifestations of stupidity is group think — when an insular group — like the current crowd surrounding this President — sit around and carefully concoct some risible reaction or plan, all the while thinking that it will wow ‘em out in Peoria, as the Nixon crowd used to use as their measure of credibility.

I think the really stupid person here is the President. Seems to me that he is the one with the tin ear. Sorry to say it, but I don’t think Susan Rice is so much stupid as she is fundamentally dishonest — completely willing to lie for the President, right to the American people. She knew that the Benghazi story was a lie but she told it to the American people anyway — because Barack Obama asked her to. Same thing here. She knew the full back story on Bowe Bergdahl, but she lied in her teeth, right through that mild George Stephanopoulos skepticism.

CharlieFromMass

There is a difference between “smart” and “intelligent.”

Smart is the ability to use your knowledge in a meaningful, practical
manner in day-to-day life. Intelligent is the ability to acquire
information and retain it for future use, as well as the ability to
reason and use logic to at least some degree.

Some people are smart, some are intelligent. Some, sadly, are
neither, but rely on cunning, which is spur-of-moment use of your wits
(such as they are) to get you out of a jam.

People who are either smart or intelligent each present their own
unique challenges. Smart people who aren’t intelligent have great
intuitive thinking, but can’t do much for original thought and the
retention of deeper knowledge. Intelligent people who aren’t smart are
like libraries you lost the key to, and the windows can’t be broken- all
that knowledge locked away and inaccessible. This is why it is so
critical to develop a balance to both traits and learn how to use them
as much as possible.

Sadly, many people were either not intelligent enough to begin with,
or not smart enough to begin with and then watched all their schooling
go right over their heads, frying what capacity they might have had.

trailbee

My personal opinion: I believe that Mr. Obama made a promise during his Apology Tour, and maybe even before that, in gratitude for campaign donations, and finally found a way to slip out the worst of the worst.
He could have traded twenty-five of the least offensive, but did not, leading me to think that this trade had been a foregone conclusion, no matter what anyone else said. A rather lopsided quid pro quo.

Buzzeroo

I do not doubt your background research into Susan Rice so I’ve come to the conclusion that she said whatever she said on TV regarding Benghazi and Bergdahl on purpose despite the readily provable false, bizarre nature of her so very public testimony. She looked like a fool both times but I believe that she did so for some reasons—-misguidedly and stupidly inane though they might have appeared. In the filthy grip of this slick, sleezy, underhanded band of grifting liars, America is in plain hell. Up is now down, left is now right, yes may be no and vice versa. It’s a nightmare–and everything that the regime does or doesn’t do can only be counted on to subvert and ruin this nation.–and absolutely nothing decently more. If we survive them it will truly be a miracle.

wyatt81

Education and high IQ’s can just as easily be used for evil purposes and, in fact, often are. Just makes them more clever devils, as CS Lewis pointed out. Only in Obama’s and Rice’s cases, not so clever.

RoscoeBonifitucci

Time to fire such incompetent Morons like Susan Rice. These “Public Servants” are intolerant Useful Idiots who promote Bolshevik doctrine. They are the Communist Enemy our fathers warned us about. They deserve to be sacked and moved to some 3rd World Dung Heap where they can no longer do harm to America and her people.

Alex

Hotchkiss identified what she called the seven deadly sins of narcissism:

Shamelessness: Shame is the feeling that lurks
beneath all unhealthy narcissism, and the inability to process shame in
healthy ways.

Magical thinking: Narcissists see themselves as perfect,
using distortion and illusion known as magical
thinking. They also use projection to dump shame onto others.

Arrogance: A narcissist who is feeling
deflated may reinflate by diminishing, debasing, or degrading somebody
else.

Envy: A narcissist may secure a sense of
superiority in the face of another person’s ability by using contempt to
minimize the other person.

Entitlement: Narcissists hold unreasonable
expectations of particularly favorable treatment and automatic compliance
because they consider themselves special. Failure to comply is considered
an attack on their superiority, and the perpetrator is considered an
“awkward” or “difficult” person. Defiance of their
will is a narcissistic injury that can trigger narcissistic rage.

Exploitation: Can take many forms but always
involves the exploitation of others without regard for their feelings or
interests. Often the other is in a subservient position where resistance
would be difficult or even impossible. Sometimes the subservience is not
so much real as assumed.

Bad boundaries: Narcissists do not recognize that they have
boundaries and that others are separate and are not extensions of themselves.
Others either exist to meet their needs or may as well not exist at all. Those
who provide narcissistic supply to the narcissist are
treated as if

morefandave

As to smarts, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Obama is the embodiment of taking affirmative action to its logical end. It explains the total lack of academic documentation, which would have documented that he didn’t have the real credentials to get where he got by the same rules everybody else plays by. Which means that he and his sycophants are the only ones continuing to insist on his superior intelligence following disaster after disaster. As to his motivation for doing what he did, he doesn’t give a rodent’s rear end any more. He’s got all the press cover he needs to make it to the end of his term without being impeached, so he has no motivation to even make a credible excuse for his conduct. As for Rice, she may be smart, but smarts don’t equal integrity; she sold her soul for the jobs, the glory and the percs.

rgcomega

Obama continues to claim he’s the smartest person in the room – just guessing the room is in one of those teenie little doll houses. Smart people just don’t keep stepping in cowpies, and you’d think a Rhodes Scholar wouldn’t follow in his footsteps.

equinox

Sorry for the typos. Repositing.This is correct and insightful. However, The issues that are being discussed by the Pundits have not been thought through and are based upon muddled thinking. Here are some points to consider:

1. Bergdahl may not have been a POW, so the central narrative by the Obama Admin may have been based upon a false premise.

2. The principle that Obama has based his actions upon is that the US will not leave any soldiers behind. This principle is being expressed as an absolute, but I have not seen any of the high priced news anchors express the point that, excuse me, this prinicple is not an absolute. For example, if the price to release Bergdahl was Obama giving the Taliban one of his daughters for a month, this would obviously be a non starter. So, we now know that there are limits to what can be offered for any prisoner’s release. That being the case, the only meaningful approach is to balance the risks vs. the rewards. So, the reward is the release of a US soldier held by the Taliban, who may or may not be a desrter and may or may not be valuable for the US to get back for intelligence reasons vs. the cost/benefits of the price to be paid. Even the DOD projected the risk that the 5 war criminals that were traded was around 8 out of 10 that they would rejoin the terrorist Jihad agaisnt the West and the US.. With such a high risk, I think it is safe to say tha teach of the 5 will probably be responsible for numerous US soldiers, US citizens and innocent Jewish, Christian and Muslim civilians being mained or killed. As they say on Wall St, this was not a “value trade”. Moreover, I think it is fair to say that over the lifetimes of the released terrorists, they will likely cause the deaths of hundreds if not thousands. I am assuming that Obama plans to have the parents of all that die as a result of his actions also come to the White House for a photo OP where Obama personally apologizes for releasing dedicated killers knowing they will kill again, in order to obtain Bergdahl’s release and enhance Obama’s legacy.

3. The commnader in Chief is not supposed to save a US soldier (even one that was a decorated war hero, much less an anti American, pro Taliban, deserter, whose duty it is to die, if necessary, to protect US interests, soldiers and innocent civilians), where it is a virtual certainty that the results would be the very deaths to US soldiers and civilians that the soldier’s duty it was to protect. Ironic and good material for the Theater of the Absurd.This is what happens when the President is more interested in playing golf or hanging with Jay Z, than he is in doing the dificult intellectual work of analyzing his actions and policies.

Unfortunately, there is simply no way to escape the fact that this may have been the worst decision Obama has made, except perhaps for Obama Care, and one that will clearly result in him have blood on his hands as he will be responsible for all of the death and destruction that these 5 characters are sure to release upon humanity. While I had some doubts up until now, I am now confident that Obama will be viewed historically as the worst president in US History, eclipsing Jimmy Carter. Moreover, he will have failed to “transform” America into his secular progressive fantasy, but in trying, he will have set us back 10 years in economic and diplomatic affairs.

Drew Page

Compared to BHO, Jimmy Carter is an honest man of integrity and respect, a strong leader and a great American.

joepotato

Maybe there’s a distinct difference in what society deems intelligent and what actually qualifies as “smart.” Apparently, the “geniuses” in the BS Media have determined that a vast majority of Americans are pathetic indoctrinated imbeciles… and to a certain extent, they’re correct. I’m sure that the Obama/Soetoro regime bases their propaganda releases on that determination… Therefore, the people that prep Susan must figure the odds at any deception being discovered as low… They misjudged this one… Using the Hitler model; if you tell a lie, make it big and repeat. It works convincingly in many instances. Bernie, I agree with your conclusion that Susan should avoid the Sunday news shows… for the obvious reasons…

disqus_yeZNegncsV

It’s pretty simple, Bernie–arrogance and lack of fear that the press will turn on them make them do it. They’ve gotten away with it for so long and so have their acolytes (think Harry Reid and his Senate well comments about Mitt Romney–I have friends who believed NO US senator would ever have said such a think in the hallowed Senate UNLESS it were true that Harry had a “friend” who really told him such things) that they continue to ply the same strategy.
While he may have attended Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard Law, Obama was NEVER a man of accomplishment, Bernie. That’s not to say he’s stupid. IT is to say that he was a “student” of no accomplishment. His first year of Harvard Law was the first year they went to the pass/fail system there for a time. His election to the editor of the HLR was quite simply the result of the school and the students thinking they’d show their liberal cred by electing a black man, the first, as editor of the Review, the first time such a person who HAD NEVER WRITTEN ANYTHING was so elected. The Chicago Law experience also left no footprints of achievement. In fact, he ran from interaction with his accomplished colleagues there.

So, we have a man who OCCUPIES positions but who has never demonstrated any capacity or skill that separates him from others.
In short, he’s not dumb in an intellectual sense, but not a man who’s ever had to work with people, not a man who’s ever had to solve tough problems, not even a man who’s even demonstrated he wanted to work through tough problems. Rather, he’s a guy who has had things handed to him for all the wrong reasons.
Is it any wonder why he’d think he could hoodwink the public when the press has always failed to ask him tough questions, always failed to follow up on a story, always given him a free pass?

morefandave

You nailed it!

SkyCitizen

A long read but well worth it. Excellent!

Joh

I am trying to understand why the WH would parade Susan Rice on the Sunday shows after the firestorm she generated after ben Ghazi. It really defies all logic and you just have to take it as a wedgie to the world

Ksp48

Seriously odd. Even if it was the truth you’d think that Rice has no credibility. For her to go on with absolutely no knowledge of yet another incident and spew lies is simply astonishing. Or it used to be.

Joh

Amen..

Ted Crawford

In the first place it is wrong to assume reasonable thinking and logical decision making, necessarily follow a ‘Degree’, however well accredited the source. We might recall that Ted Kaczynski, holds a Ph.D. from Harvard!
Secondly, isn’t this the same Susan Rice that,during her stay at the old NSC, in the Clinton Administration, denied the Genocide in Rwanda, stonewalled Madeleine Albright’s State Department, and TWICE, was instrumental in the rejection of the Sudanese Governments offers to arrest and extridite bin Lauden, BEFORE 9 / 11?
It seems to me this behavior is perfectly in character for this disgusting ….person(?)!

Brhurdle

Ms Rice obviously has a high IQ, but somehow is not adverse to attempting to sell a false narrative on TV. Perhaps she has concluded that her intelligence is so far superior to the masses that they will unquestionably accept her proclamations. If this happens again, the TV media should be blamed since she should be banned from appearing again.

Bill2455

A claim to a high IQ means nothing. If you come up with the wrong answer every time; you are dumb.

disqus_yeZNegncsV

High IQ, low IQ, average IQ….liars come in all flavors.

Bill2455

She is just plain dumb.

sniper2535

There’s an end game to this administration. The details in between, to them, are inconsequential.

Ted Crawford

Indeed! That is, or certainly should be, a cause for great concern to all Americans!

nickshaw

Remember Steven Chu, Sec. of Energy?
Another “smart” man who said and did dumb things.
Just ’cause you’re smart doesn’t mean you’re not an idiot.

Ted Crawford

“Education is the crutch with which the Fools attack the wise to prove they are not idiots!” Karl Kraus

just barb

Bernie, you said Obama is a narcissist and I have always thought that of him.
It explains all the things he does and thinks there are never consequences nor does he care.. There haven’t been yet with all incorrect ways he has handled so many issues. The media has always supported him.
Maybe? this will finally knock him down. Then of course the media will support Hillary since Obama can’t run again or maybe he will invoke executive privilege and make himself King.

Ksp48

If Shovel Ready stimulus, the Summer of Recovery, Jobs, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, Obamacare, they Roll out, Syria, the IRS and the VA did not “knock him down”, why would this latest incomprehensible incompetency?

just barb

trying to be optimistic

Bill2455

I do not understand why Bernie thinks Susan Rice is smart. If you come to the wrong conclusion each and every time, you are not smart.

nickshaw

She didn’t come to any conclusions.
She just read the script.

Bill2455

Her words. She owns them.

morefandave

There is a BIG difference between a wrong conclusion and a lie. There is nothing to indicate that Rice actually believes any of the things she says. That doesn’t make her wrong, just dishonest.

Bill2455

I am addressing the context of the article by Bernie. Maybe she lied, maybe she did not. That remains for another article. I am only addressing the observation by Bernie, that she is smart. Facts in evidence show she is not.

I believe it is important to no longer cede the “smart” card to them. It hampers our ability to challenge their actions. I challenge their so-called intellectual superiority. These are very stupid people making very bad decisions.

http://TrochilusTales.blogspot.com Trochilus

Bill2455:disqus

“Maybe she lied, maybe she did not.”

Nuts!

One could have plausibly made that argument with respect to her Benghazi performances, that is until it became clear — from the testimony of several others with first hand knowledge — that the Obama White House absolutely knew that it had been a planned terrorist attack within 24 hours. That was when it became clear that she had intentionally lied to the American people in order to politically protect the President.

But this time, she was and is the national security adviser to the President. She knew the entire background story on Bergdahl. There was no way on earth that she was not knowingly lying when she said “he served with honor and distinction.”

Bill2455

You say she lied, I agree with you. So what? You fall into the trap laid for you and we need to quit falling into that trap. If you cede that she is smart. and Obama is smart, and all the Obama team is smart, then they lied to you for a reason. Only smart people can understand the reason they are “forced” to lie to the American people.
Obama has lied time and again…has that really impacted his ability to govern?
To undercut them head on you need to call them stupid, dumb, ignorant….these are adjectives that will make impact. As in “only an idiot would reach the conclusion that Susan Rice made” on the talk shows.
When dealing with LIEberals, you need to hit them where it hurts…kind of like dealing with 7 year olds. They are dumb, they are fat, they are ugly. Issues such as honor, ethics, duty and morality are given short shrift by themselves and their con-conspirators in the media.
So in the end, Susan Rice is just plain stupid.

http://TrochilusTales.blogspot.com Trochilus

@morefandave:disqus Bingo! That is exactly right. She is not only a liar . . . she is a serial liar.

Ksp48

Someone who does not check the facts for herself before going on national TV to regurgitate lies is not that smart. Someone who does it again after being caught the first time is stupid.

morefandave

How do we know that she didn’t check the facts for her self before going on TV? She is stupid only if you equate mendacity with stupidity. She apparently believes that the prestige of her positions are sufficient compensation for repeatedly looking like an idiot. If she is stupid, it is only for making the trade-off, not for lying per se.

Ksp48

It is also unfortunate that when I hear Stanford (one of my daughters went there) and Rhodes Scholar I am usually very impressed, but here I am forced to wonder “Affirmative Action?”

Bill2455

I concur.

SkyCitizen

The difference between loyalty and stupidity is how many times you fall on your sword

Bill2455

Loyalty is not an issue on the table. Being wrong each time on the significant issues of the day demonstrates stupidity. My dog is loyal, but I would not ask my dog to make decisions about National Security.

The Master Chief

First of all to me,what this Pres and the WH lack is Honor. Same with the Majority in Congress. These People are born without a soul,and the quest for Power is their only reason for living.

Drew Page

The current administration lacks a whole lot more than just honor. They lack honesty, integrity, humility and human decency. They do not see themselves as public servants, they see themselves as rulers of subjects who are too stupid to know what’s best for them.

The Master Chief

Absolutely. But in my 25 yrs Of Service,I Know If you don’t Have HONOR,you don’t have anything.

David Levitsky

The President is getting better. At least he did not learn about the release by watching Susan Rice on the Sunday talk shows…..

savage24

How many more stupid things does this woman have to say before somebody figures out that she is nothing but a mouth for the most incompetent administration in the history of the United State of America? If she really is as smart as some think she is, why does she allow Obama to use her for a door mat? Education is not the solution for stupidity

Bill2455

Excellent closing line.

joepotato

The Obunga/ Soetoro regime is far more treacherous and deceitful than they are incompetent… Case in point, How many lies has the regime used to further their agenda…? The count is very high…

savage24

You have something there, if it was simply incompetence you would think that with the laws of probability they would make a mistake in our favor every once in a while. And that ain’t happen yet.

morefandave

People have figured it out, with the possible exception of the MSM, who either haven’t figured it out, or don’t care (more probably the latter).

Uncle Dave

Don’t kid yourself morefandave. I still see lots of cars driving around with Obummer 08 and Obummer 12 sticker on them. If I had voted and learned, as you suggest, I would be scraping that sticker off of my bumper.
I think far too many blindly vote, and follow the pied piper right off of the cliff. These people may not have an original thought or brain cell in thier collective head.
The few that do wake-up may be so stund that they don’t know what to do with themselves.

morefandave

You may be right. However, my unscientific gut feeling is that there are a lot fewer such cars visible now, and I don’t think it’s just due to the fact that the election is over. A lot of people have scraped them off, wanting to remove the badge of dishonor. I also note that a lot of the stickered cars that remain look like they are fit for retirement (the cars, not the drivers). They belong to the terminally stupid who suffer from what Thomas Aquinas termed “invincible ignorance.” They are too stupid to realize how stupid they are.

Uncle Dave

They are too stupid to realize how stupid they are…. I can go with that… And Yes, I have noticed many of the cars with stickers look like they could be used in a
zombie apocalypse movie. In this case “zombie” is acurate on several levels.
Anyway, let hope your original theory is correct.

Drew Page

She doesn’t have to say any more stupid things. A great many people have already figured out she is nothing but a mouthpiece for this administration.

Bill2455

Bernie apparently believes education and wisdom are equal terms.

Ted Crawford

” Nothing in Education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts!” Henry Adams

jj

In my day we called that “book smart”. Does not mean you have any common sense.

Mark Brickey

All that “smart stuff” burned out her “light bulb” of reasoning!!! Some of the “smartest – ie; intellectual – are some of the most unreasonable.

Drew Page

Josef Mengle was a doctor.

John Probst

Can you say TREASON Bernie??Still think only C-Nuts think that ObaMao is a militant Muzzie? He is destroying the USA on purpose, so he is NOT incompetent but sinister

Sgt Bergdahl may have served with honor and distinction before he called it quits. And no smart person says and does smart things 100% of the time. Not even myself, as much as it pains me to admit.

nickshaw

Then she should have said he served with honor and distinction before he deserted!
Or, better, nothing.

Drew Page

Benedict Arnold also served with honor and distinction, for a time.

Tim in California

Susan Rice and her team at the WH might be loaded with book-smarts. Ivy league/Rhodes scholar smarts… But that’s a far cry from WISDOM which is severely lacking…

Jeff Metz

Bernie,

I will tell you how supposedly “smart” folks like Mr. Obama and Ms. Rice say such seemingly dumb things. They both fundamentally dislike the nation they represent. To them, saying such things is not dumb but in line with what they honestly feel. http://www.thepoliticalspectator.org

wildjew

Bernie wrote: “A smarter president would have found a more modest way to tell the nation he was bringing an American soldier home; he would have explained that it was a very difficult decision because of the high price America had to pay.”

I posted the following on The Hill yesterday: Obama’s defenders like to invoke Israel’s release of terrorists in exchange for hostages held by jihadists, in Gaza, Lebanon, etc. (Just last night, James Carville invoked Israel on O’Reilly’s program.) But these exchanges are very controversial in Israel and widely condemned by the political right. Prime Minister Netanyahu in his book “Fighting Terrorism,” wrote that a nation must not negotiate with much less release terrorists in exchange for hostages, but sometimes Israeli politicians capitulate or give way under pressure from hostage’s families, the public, etc. Israelis agonize over their hostages held in terrible conditions by Islamic jihadist savages. Furthermore, and more importantly, in Israel before there is an exchange there is a national debate. Families who are victims of terrorism plead with the prime minister, “Do not do this!” It is heart wrenching. But here not only did Obama circumvent Congress and a national debate, he released incredibly talented and capable jihadists (some call generals) for a soldier who deserted his post. Gilad Shalit the young soldier held captive by Hamas for several years in Gaza, who is often invoked by Obama supporters, was NOT a deserter. There was an extensive national debate in Israel. To my knowledge no “generals” were released in exchange for him though many argue it was wrong nonetheless.

equinox

This is correct and insightful. However, The issues that are being discussed by the Pundits have not been thought through and are based upon muddled thinking. Here are some points to consider:

1. Bergdahl may not have been a POW, so the central narrqtive by the Obama Admin may have been based upon a false premise.

2. The principle that Obama has basdd his actions upon is that the US will not leave any soldiers behind. This principle is being expressed as an ablsoute, but I have not seen any of the high priced news anchors express the point that, excuse me, this prinicple is not an absolutre. For example, if the price to release Bergdahl was Obama giving the Taliban one of his daughters for a month, this would obvioulsy be aq non starter. So, we now know that there are limits to what can be offered for any prisnor’s release. That being the case, the only meaningful approach is to balance the risks vs. the rewards. so, the reward is the release of a US soldier held by the Taliban, who may or may not be a desrter and may or may not be valuable for the US to get back for intelligence reasons vs. the cost/benefits of the price to be paid. Even the DOD projected the risk that the 5 war criminals that were traded was around 8 out of 10. With such a high risk, I think it is safe to say thateach of the 5 will probably be responsible for numerous US soldiers, US citizens and innocent Jewish and Christian civilians being mained or killed. As they say on Wall St, this is not a “value trade”. Moreover, I think it is fair to say that over the lifetimes of the released terrorists, they will likely cause the deaths of hundreds if not thousands. I am assuming that Obama plans to have the parents of all that die as a result of his actions also come to the White House for a photo OP where Obama personally apologizes for releasing dedicated killers knowing they will kill again, in orddr to obtain Bergdahl’s release.

3. The commnader in Chief is not supposed to save a US soldier (even one that was a decorated war hero, much less an anti American, pro Taliban, deserter), whose duty it is to die, if necessary, to protect US interests, soldiers and innocent civilians, where it is a virtual certainty that the results would be the very deaths to US soldiers and civilians that the soldier’s duty it was to protect. This what happens when the president is more interested in playing golf or hanging wiht Jay Z, than he is in doing the dificult intellectual work of analyzing his actions and policies.

Unfortunately, there is simply no way to escape the fact that this may have been to worst decision Obama has made, except perhaps for Obama Care, and one that will clearly result in him have blood on his hands as he will be responsible for all of the death and destruction that these 5 characters are sure to release upon humanity. While I had some doubts up until now, I am not confident that IObama will be viewed historically as the worst president in US History, eclipsing Jimmy Carter. Moreover, he will have failed to “transform” America into his secular progressive fantasy, but in doing so, will have set us back 10 years in economic and diplomatic affairs.

morefandave

The essence of the transaction wasn’t a swap. Nobody is stupid enough to make this trade, which on its merits is stupider than the Brock for Broglio trade. The swap was just used as camouflage for starting to empty Gitmo.

wildjew

Interesting perspective with much to ponder. Having watched this twenty year disciple of Rev. Jeremiah Wright (for six plus years) further or try to further the most extreme interpretation of Islam in the Middle East and North Africa, listening to and absorbing his June 2009 speech to the Muslim world and invited Muslim Brotherhood dignitaries at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, given his paternal Muslim birth and his deep sympathies for the world of Islam I cannot say Obama did not do some intellectual work, analyzing his actions and policies.

I suspect that like Bernie’s friend and colleague Bill O’Reilly, most Americans operate under the assumption President Obama wants what is good for “his” country. That is what O’Reilly and others maintain. I think that is a foolish assumption. When Obama says things like it’s “not who we are as Americans,” I don’t believe him. It is not about where he was born but who he is.

equinox

When you consider Obama’s Apology Tour (and the fact that he knew exactly what he was doing and that the result would be for the US to lose power and prestige in the Arab world as a result), his blatant support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which HE KNEW would destroy the US’s credibility with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and our other allies in the Middle East, plus the fact that his former Sec of State’s key aide is from a powerful and ACTIVE Musilm Brotherhood family, one begins to wonder seriously what is the central motivation for Obama.

Bill O’Reilly is what he says he is; “A Simple Man”. When things are not what they appear, I am afraid that they go over Mr. O’Reilly’s head. Obama is very intelligent and is not “disengaged”. That is likely a “front” for what he really is and what he is really doing, someone who is trying to subvert our way of life based upon his view that everyone is the same and that the US needs to be humbled and knocked off its perch as the leader of the world. One can speculate as to what his ideal substitute is, but by his condict, one would think it is a world ruled by a Caliphate.

Drew Page

I believe that O’ Reilly is a perceptive, intelligent man. The false modesty of his self-imposed “simple man” description, is his way of playing to “the folks”. In an attempt to live up to the “fair and balanced” mantra of Fox News, he tends to give Obama the benefit of the doubt when critics attack the president. O’ Reilly doesn’t want to be written off as a conservative ideologue.

O’ Reilly sees Obama’s “disengagement” resulting his inexperience with governing and managing and his dislike of confrontation. I see it as a tactic to establish plausible deniability and escape from responsibility and blame.

O’ Reilly sees Obama’s driving ambition as the promotion of “social justice”. I suspect more sinister motives. I have read Obama’s books and have come to my own conclusions about what motivates this man. I believe these motives drive what he does and doesn’t do as president.

equinox

I agree with your analysis and suspect that our “conclusions” are similar. I know the milieu that Obama came out of and at one point was part of it, so the basis for my “conclusions” is quite sound.

Brian Stover

Personally I think there is more wisdom in a good sports bar than in an Obama cabinet meeting.
And unlike cabinet members, people in the bar are encouraged to speak their own opinions. Cabinet members have to say what they are told by our first Anti-American President.

Concernedmimi

Starting with Obama, this administration is nothing more than a bunch of lying, scheming, political hacks. In fact, it’s why he so continuously warned everyone who would tune in to his boring speeches, to NOT watch Fox News (blowing his dog whistle), because he knew everyone would eventually find out the truth.

VermontAmerican

The White House is spewing one rationalization after another. Five days have elapsed and only now is Bergdahl’s failing health being cited by Team Obama as a factor in negotiating such a disastrous deal for the U.S.

nickshaw

And that they were being threatened with Bergdahl’s death if the deal leaked!
These people have more spin cycles than Maytag!

Iggy Autry

Actually, it is easy for the more highly educated, from the “better” schools, to say dumb things —- because they have such a mammoth disdain for the intelligence of average people.

And it is easier for them to make moves like this, because they have a large disdain for the type of patriotism and other values of the common man.

Just reference Ivy League educated Obama talking about all those ignorant buffoons who still cling to their guns and their religion/superstitions. Or, Ivy League educated Michelle and how she’d never been proud of her country until her husband was about to be elected president.

I am being completely serious here: Where else inside the entire nation would you expect to find a significant percentage of Americans who would not support the use of (American) military force against Afghanistan after 9/11?

I doubt there is another single institution inside the country where you could safely bet you’d find even 5% of such people —- except higher education – especially Ivy League higher education.

You know, if I had less faith in the voting masses, I’d be scared. Scared that you can’t have a primary social institution in your society – one designed to “educate” the masses – that so commonly teachers prejudice and animosity toward its very own society – without eventually seeing the society topple – topple to something far, far worse.

John Probst

good, Iggy, but you forget to mention what 9-11 firefighters et al. know–Baby Bush and Cheney let 9-11 happen to take away our freedoms for “security” just like Goering et al. taught them–gave us DHS, illegal searches and detainment wo trial and Patriot Act intended to be used
against Patriots–we failed those tests so ObaMao took it much further and we are still failing those tests…and we prolonged the war w Arfghans for a variety of evil reasons as shown by noted Bilderbergers who announced “there is no deadline” on the same day last year. THESE ARE NOT R-DEM PARTISAN issues

kayakbob

Well Bernie, there is ‘educated’, and then there is ‘smart’. One does not necessarily mean the other.

Mike D

Well perhaps for Ms. Rice the third time’s a charm

artlouis

I don’t think the issue is whether these people are smart. It is whether they are unconscionable liars who will say anything based on political motives.

Integrity

I couldn’t have said it better. QED

Sonny

Integrity – your name is what they lack. All of them.

nickshaw

Exactly. They think it’s smart to lie.

jackietreehorn3

This administration will go down in history as having the worst foreign policy in the history of modern presidents. I still remember ABC,CBS, and NBC swooning over Obama’s vague and “common sense” responses to questions regarding foreign policy during debates in both campaigns. While McCain and Romney were lambasted for being out of touch. It speaks volumes of the liberal bias of the major networks and how easily it can sway low information voters who take opinion and process it as fact.

Iggy Autry

But his foreign policy isn’t surprising. If you believe the United States has been a net malevolent force in the world throughout history, having no foreign policy is having the right foreign policy.

And if you still end up blowing up some individuals with missiles launched from drones, well, at least you have the intellectual high ground to justify it….

jackietreehorn3

That’s their exact thought process. It’s been like a boat without a rudder. Richard Engel said it best, and I’m paraphrasing here, you can’t name one country whom we have improved our relationship with. But there is a long list on both sides(friends and foes) where we have gone backwards. Pathetic

Iggy Autry

Most of the individual nations in the world love to hate US foreign policy for leading — right up to the moment they want us to lead for them… North Korea is probably one of the only big exceptions. At least in the Cold War, the nations that hated us never asked for a helping hand. Or in other orders, nations love to hate the power and wealth of the United States – unless it needs that power and wealth – and even then – they can take with one hand and still slap us with the other.

I’m waiting for the day a large pool of academics explain in detail how wonderfully Western Europe torroed the whole colonial backlash by convincing the world they must be more concerned about temporary American power than what they did in the past…

jackietreehorn3

Great point.

dr mike

What foreign policy are you referring to? I haven’t seen one from this administration since it got in office in 2009.

jackietreehorn3

Lol, just saw your comment. It’s funny because it’s true.

dr mike

Thanks, Jackie. It WOULD be funny if the administration weren’t so pathetic.

Ryan Nichols

I wonder if the father will continue his quest to free the detainees. .

Ted Crawford

I think he explained his beliefs very plainly in the Rose Garden! “Bismillah al-rahman al-rehim”

gold7406

After the beating the administration had taken over the past two weeks with the VA debacle, they wanted to show that they were still the winners and still the champions. They thought they were going to be embraced by an adoring fan base and sway veteran groups on the wonderful work that was done.
This administration was like a naive newly wed couple negotiating with a third generation persian rug merchant.

WhiteHunter

Maybe. But I think more likely Obama’s script goes something like this: “If you thought I couldn’t get away with Fast & Furious, IRSgate, NSAgate, Benghazigate, and VAgate, just watch me get away with THIS one!”

And I’d be willing to bet that he will. Because like all the rest of these crimes, this one will also be dismissed with a sneer as “old news” and “a fake scandal” in another week or two, or a month at most.

Feinstein will drop her “outraged” pose when it’s served its purpose and people begin to ask, “okay, so what are you going to do about it?” The MSM will abandon the strained and unconvincing pretense that for once, their journalistic duty trumps their slobbering infatuation with and unconditional loyalty to the Messiah; they’ll return to their much more comfortable and familiar role as his mendacious attack dogs, adamant defenders, and impenetrable shield.

Very few people who are fanatically committed to a destructive ideology or an evil cult leader–whether it’s Marxism, communism, or Obammunism–ever return to sanity or develop a conscience, much less feel remorse or sincerely and regretfully acknowledge and make amends for their responsibility for the damage they’ve done; and I’ll be amazed if this time is any different.

GOPvsUSA

Hey, conservative coward?

You have time to run around voting up every one of your remedial BFFs that respond to my posts but you can’t respond to my post that exposed you as the lying POS you are?

C’mon … man up, “hunter”. Find your sack. It’s that wrinkly thing that looks like what you get teabagged with, only a lot smaller.

I’ll post it a THIRD time to make damn sure you got it.

“Obama was sound asleep upstairs so he’d be well rested for his highest, most urgent priority: his Vegas fundraiser the next day.”

I’ll even paste the important stuff here since we know damn well you’re too much of a coward to go there and have your talking point shattered like a pane of glass.

Scroll down through all the exposed Right wing BS until you get to the blue subheading “ANSWER: Obama Was In The Oval Office And His Staff Was Fully Engaged Throughout The Attack”

There you’ll see “A photo that has been available for over a year on the White House Flikr page shows President Obama in the Oval Office during the September 2012 attacks” being briefed alongside the four other people standing next to him.

Now tell us …

Why did you LIE and say that “Obama was sound asleep upstairs so he’d be well rested for his highest, most urgent priority: his Vegas fundraiser the next day.”?

Hint: Acting like you never seen this response won’t help you because I’m going to keep coming after you until you take “personal responsibility” for lying.

You got me on this, kid?

John Probst

Actually, he was playing cards w Reggie Love(r). And you still think that DEM-R is apartisan issue when both are stooges for the Super-rich?? Romney is small change here

GOPvsUSA

Actually, you just lied.

I already posted proof of exactly where he was and who he was with.

It’s OK … we all know that proof is something conservatives are all highly allergic to.

Now tell us: Why did you just lie?

I will now count off how many times you try to get away with not answering that.

nickshaw

LOL! The Dim talking points generator is your “go to” source?
LOL!

GOPvsUSA

“LOL” doesn’t help you here. Even two of them in the same post didn’t help you.

But thanks for proving you can’t refute anything in the post you responded to.

Say … you wouldn’t be a conservative now would you? You’re complete lack of any debate skills whatsoever absolutely reeks of it!

Ted Crawford

Where he WASN’T Comrade, was in the Situation Room, neither was Hillary, by the way. That’s where he should have been. How do we know when that photo was taken, or what they were discussing? Given that NO substantive action was taken, with respect to the situation in Benghazi, he might well have been plannng his speech, or how best to play the Back-Nine at Spanish Hills the next day!

GOPvsUSA

Here, conservative doofus …

You’ve got nothing on “BENGHAZI!!!!” except inconvenient truths: your golden boy Betrayus releasing talking points that you guys don’t like but refuse to blame him for; a dead diplomat who denied a special protection envoy from General Ham not once but TWICE; and a bunch of Republicans who admitted they (“absolutely”) voted to cut embassy security funding despite the National Counterterrorism Center having identified some 281 threats to U.S. diplomats, diplomatic facilities, embassies, ambassadors and consulates during the six months before the attack in Benghazi because they think that merely throwing up a tall metal gate, some crash barriers and installing a safe room makes these diplomatic facilities suddenly secure.

FACT: Your boy above got busted in a LIE. And he’s now MIA because he doesn’t want to take any “personal responsibility” for it now that he’s been called out in front of everyone.

And nobody is surprised that he’s busy hiding like the conservative coward he is.

Jeff Webb

>>a dead diplomat who denied a special protection envoy from General Ham not once but TWICE<<

You liberals keep trying to blame Ambassador Stevens, and it's reprehensible. He wasn't allowed to deal with General Ham directly. He was required to defer to the State Department in all decisions related to security arrangements. Yes, THAT State Department.

I’ll continue to: 1) blame Stevens for refusing extra security over and over again and then I’ll 2) blame Republicans for gutting embassy funding and then admitting they “absolutely” did so – in spite of the National Counterterrorism Center having identified some 281 threats to U.S. diplomats, diplomatic facilities, embassies, ambassadors and consulates during the six months before the attack in Benghazi because they think that merely throwing up a tall metal gate, some crash barriers and installing a safe room makes these diplomatic facilities suddenly secure.

And you won’t do a damn thing about it.

And then? Since 750 times LESS people died during “BANGHAZI!!!!” than died on 911 under your “Decider”?

I’ll make sure I care about holding Obama responsible for “BENGHAZI!!!” 750 times LESS then you did about holding your “Decider” responsible for 911.

And you won’t do a damn thing about it.

Are we clear here? If not, I’ll be sure to crystal it up for ya!

Jeff Webb

lol You just go ahead and have a good time there, IHF.

GOPvsUSA

Making conservatives looking like the lying, hypocritical cowards they are is ALWAYS a good time!

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

It’s not like it’s difficult. All you to do is post actual quotes. They shoot themselves in the foot so often it’s not funny anymore.

http://johndalybooks.com/ John Daly

Actually, it’s not him. It does confirm, however, that people like him are a dime a dozen on the Internet. lol.

Jeff Webb

And you still get change from the cashier.

loupgarous

And with a BILLION dollars to play with, Organizing for Action can pay a LOT of them to sit behind keyboards and post crap. Their activity in the comment sections of Yahoo!News (which doesn’t need the help, the staff’s fully on board for “Action” as long as it’s for the Democrats) has ticked upward with several close primary races now.

Johnny B Goodlick

Love your style bro! You talk sense and don’t tolerate any of theirshit. One suggestion if I may. These cult followers are beneath you. Take on has-been con man hack Goldberg and his errand boys Daly, Webb (who thinks you are me), Perlutsky who in return for Koch Bros blood money crank out the propaganda that pushes the buttons of these jerkoffs. That’s my $0.02. Keep on rockin’!

Jeff Webb

As pathetic as your posts are, IHF, you amuse the heck out of me. The “jerkoffs” at this site have gotten under your skin to the point of obsession.

http://johndalybooks.com/ John Daly

BTW, I wish Burt would send some of that Koch money my way. Spread the wealth! lol.

loupgarous

I know what you mean. I’ve been doing this all for free, myself.

Jeff Webb

Actually, “we” aren’t clear. Since I refuted you with facts, and all you’ve got after that is puffing out your chest & saying you’re going to keep lying, it’s pretty obvious you’re murky here.

Acting tough doesn’t suit you, kid, and your firm pledge to push proven falsehoods is beneath this site. You’re still welcome here as long as you follow the rules, though you should consider looking for one where your crap will sell. Might help you relax.

GOPvsUSA

You didn’t refute me with facts because you have none.

Now here’s some facts for you, ready?

FACT: The only rule I follow is to treat conservatives over here on conservative sites even worse than they treat liberals over on liberal sites.

FACT: If you don’t like being treated the way you treat others than either keep your like-minded troglodytes off the liberal sites and keep them over here where they belong or go cry to the mods and get me banned like the wuss you are.

A place for you to prove that allegation can and will be provided to you so you can wuss out like you conservative cowards are genetically prone to do.

Now why did you LIE and say that I lied when I just posted proof that makes you look like, well … YOU?

I’ll wait for you to not address anything above that just exposed you, troll.

loupgarous

Wooooo – angry, bro?

It’s a shame that all that testosterone (or at least norepinephrine) is wasted on the messenger and not the people responsible – Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

As far as your – and Barbara Boxer’s -claim about “funding cuts” being responsible for the loss of Station Benghazi to an organized enemy attack which included an aircraft cannon mounted on a pickup – the Washington Post (no Republican lackeys, they) gave it “Three Pinocchios” for lying and obfuscation.

Get used to it, my man, you’re on the losing side of a Watergate scenario which will last until January 2017, or until that lying sack of schitt currently warming the chair in the Oval Office resigns or is impeached.

I’d love “impeached” as an option, for even if the Senate abdicates its duty to find Barack Hussein Obama guilty of abundant high crimes and misdemeanors he’s committed, it’d be an extensive cataloguing of what the Democratic Party is all about, and that these liars and thieves ought to be banned from any office at all.

GOPvsUSA

Are you angry?

LOL! Your Obama Tourette’s wont help you out of this one.

And I’m not your “bro”. See, unlike you I know who my daddy is because he actually stuck around.

But thanks for CRYING for me, kid. I just love posts where you conservatives cry about things – especially when you ignore some inconvenient truth and try (unsuccessfully of course) to drown it out with your tears.

Good stuff!

You’re now free to continue your sniffle fest, hidey-troll.

Feel free to go nuts testing my spam filters since you don’t have the guts to un-hide your comments.

loupgarous

I’d take the trouble to rebut your lies about me, but from beginning to end, they’re ALL lies – from an immature little monster crouching in his mamma’s basement spewing bile through the Internet backbone.

The inconvenient truth that concerns us all right now is how all the unintended consequences of Obamism are converging to destroy the credibility of the Democratic party. Not even Organizing for Action’s billion-dollar war chest will do more than rouse those whose lips are fastened on the Federal teat.

xpatYankeeCurmudgeon

“And I’m not your “bro”. See, unlike you I know who my daddy is because he actually stuck around.”

You insult Dear Leader Obama with hate speech like that.

Please, think of the unicorns.

GOPvsUSA

My stalker troll has a thing for unicorns along with incurable Obama Tourette’s?

How many more times do you need to be asked if you ever managed to spin your way out of insisting that Sterling was a REGISTERED REPUBLICAN
for the past TWENTY FIVE YEARS?

C’mon … give it a another shot!

The only thing you know how to do is cut and run from the questions you’re asked and take a b*tch-slapping (from posters like shamsky24 and yours
truly).

You’re now 0-19 on proving your allegation about Sterling so far.

At least you’re consistent!

In fact … I’ll bet you again try to change the subject with another LIE about my Glenn Beck avatar because you’ve got nothing else to offer at this point.

Ted Crawford

Seriously!?!? Here with that tired, old, delusional; “they cut the funding”, mantra! Yes, the funding was cut, as it very well needed to be, however, if in fact, funding was the reason, Please explain WHY they reduced and removed security from Benghazi, BUT, the Embassy in Bern Switzerland, and nearly every other Embassy around the World, retained Their full compliment of Security Elements?!? It’s generally refered to as appropiate allocation of Assets! OR was there some, undisclosed Jihadist uprising in Bern?

Now tell us: Why did you try to LIE and say your party didn’t cut embassy security funding?

If you don’t answer this I’ll keep asking you until you do. And I’ll count off how many times you prove you’re a coward by not answering me.

Ready?

GO!

Ted Crawford

Sadly , your comment was deleted here, but I recieved it in my inbox.
It was more, typical Progressive rhetoric. You claimed, falsly, that I denied the cutting of funding?! Reading comprehension not your strong suit? Or is willful avoidance the factor?
My statement was, and I quote; “Yes, the funding was cut, as it very well needed to be..” Where in that statement do you find denial?!? The only denial I find here is on your part, where you refuse to address my point, with respect to allocation of assets!

John Phillips

Hey GOPvsUSA I’ll take up your challenge. Your source “media matters” for your info wrecks your entire argument. That’s a garbage leftist rag funded by George Soros, the infamous American-hater who funds various anti-American media outlets such as NPR. In other words you’re propping up a media service invested in lies to make your point. Afterwards you’re calling dissenting points of view as “pos”. The typical attitude of the left…..hate for anyone with differing viewpoints. If you want to know the pos in the room go find a mirror.

GOPvsUSA

Remind me again how that crybaby rant of yours refutes anything I’ve said in the post you responded to?

What’s that?

It doesn’t? At all?

LOL … that’s what I thought!

Just keep talking, loudmouth.

You’re 0-1 on refuting anything I’ve said so far. But don’t let that stop you another sniffle fest when you respond again.

Steve

Here goes GOPvsUSA again!! Ranting and raving…wait a minute…on a Conservative site?! I recall you getting after peeps for commenting on “liberal” sites (i.e. CNN, Rolling Stone Magazine, etc…)…in fact, you’ve told others who disagree with you to, “stay off liberal sites”. Way to stay classy! It’s nice to see that you still can’t discuss matters without calling peeps names that only children find amusing. And speaking of children, I bet you an ever shrinking paycheck (“Your health insurance premiums will go down by $2,500 a year”. B.H. Obama circa 2009 and I’m still waiting for this to happen) that you mention my children in an attempt to get me angry/hurt/blah, blah, blah. Yawn. Hey Everyone- I researched GOPvsUSA and his real name is: Stuart Ruggler. But you can call him Struggler…and he’ll be glad to meet anyone on the street to back up their words, “face to face”…heck, he’ll even give you his cell number. Crazier than a sh*t house rat, that one.

GOPvsUSA

Hey look! It’s Captain Struggler with the house and classroom full of lil’ strugglers!

And he’s still try to change the subject over to anything else than what he’s been asked over and over again.

Imagine that!

And that’s still not proof that I challenged someone “to duke it out”.

Yeah, you lose again Captain Struggler!

Now c’mon … tell us when you’ll be here to “work on my teeth”, loudmouth.

Your buddy Declan Pyrex didn’t want to show up at the place I gave him either – even after he gave me the date and time and sent me a response saying he was on his way.

Are you gonna be the “hero” here tough guy?

Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

Just sick to what you do best – “teaching” your inbred, dysfunctional strugglers how to struggle when you’re not busy watching everybody’s responses to yours get up-votes, or making allegations you can’t prove, or running from questions that expose what a POS liar you are, or CRYING about the mods for deleting your posts because they think you’re such a hopeless struggler.

And I’ll keep just point all that out to everyone until I decide that I’m done with you.

Jeff Webb

Per site management, both you and Steve need to tone it down, please.

Steve

What a hack. GOPvsUSA is a hack. Period. First off, write your own material. Stu Ruggler is my bit… Wrote it myself…at least give me a nickel every time you’ve broken it out since I first termed you in this most accurate of ways. Second off, you’re bleeping nutz and WAY TOO easily rattled. Later Stu!

GOPvsUSA

Hey look! It’s Captain Struggler with the house and classroom full of lil’ strugglers!

And he’s still try to change the subject over to anything else than what he’s been asked over and over again.

Imagine that!

And that’s still not proof that I challenged someone “to duke it out”.

Yeah, you lose again Captain Struggler!

Now c’mon … tell us when you’ll be here to “work on my teeth”, loudmouth.

That’s 5 times now that you refused to man up and be the hero on this one!

Justsick to what you do best – “teaching” your inbred, dysfunctional strugglers how to struggle when you’re not busy watching everybody’s responses to yours get up-votes, or making allegations you can’t prove,
or running from questions that expose what a POS liar you are, or CRYING about the mods for deleting your posts because they think you’re such a
hopeless struggler.

And I’ll just keep pointing all that out to everyone until I decide that I’m done with you.

Jonathan Goodlick

Good on you! I would say more but being on their permanentshitlist they just delete it. (No doubt you will be there too shortly). Busttheirdumbasses bro!

John Probst

and why are we to believe this source? Or ANYTHING O says for that matter? even you leftists are ackowledging him to lie about anything/everything but only lately

GOPvsUSA

That’s not an answer, coward.

I already posted proof of exactly where he was and who he was with.

It’s OK … we all know that proof is something conservatives are all highly allergic to.

Now tell us: Why did you just lie?

I will now count off how many times you try to get away with not answering that.

You’re already 0-1 right out of the gate there!

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

“Fast & Furious, IRSgate, NSAgate, Benghazigate, and VAgate”

These are wanna be scandals, not real ones.

Jeff Webb

You said Watergate was worse than anything that happened under Obama. Does that mean it qualifies as a real scandal? If it does, why is it worse than a “wanna be” scandal where people were murdered? If it doesn’t, what sort of qualities make something a scandal in your opinion?

Iggy Autry

They simply count on everyone else to be ignorant – because they have been totally convinced the average person is an ignorant, racist, patriotic, mule – their entire lives….

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

WE DO NOT LEAVE OUR SOLDIERS BEHIND.

What part of this do you not understand?

gold7406

we could have gotten this tool back with a whole lot less than the taliban “chiefs of staff.”

chuck.tatum

Bernie and others have rightly complained of the Rose Garden news conference with the Bergdahl’s. But specifically, I was most insulted that Pres. Obama had an ear-to-ear smile when Duckman Bergdahl spoke in Pushtun. Forget optics, that was audio pollution.
I beg Bowe’s pardon,
We never promised you a Rose Garden.

http://www.gofundme.com/moving-closer-to-family TerriGeer

In this country we don’t discriminate. Period. Get over yourself.

chuck.tatum

President GW Bush should have mangled the old trope this way;
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, send Susan Rice.

Wally C

Everything you stated makes sense Bernie, that’s why the President never considered it. After all, he is always the smartest man in the room.

nickshaw

Remember, Skeeter said he could do a better job than any of his cabinet members.

RickonhisHarleyJohnson

I think the president needs to hire you as his PR guy. You’re correct about how he handled this. Low key would have been so much safer. But what else is a narcissist to do?

As for Susan Rice – I’m amazed at so many extremely smart people I know who do and say the stupidest things – continually. Not sure intelligence has anything to do with the ability to think about how things you say or do will be perceived. On the contrary, I think some of the uber-smart think everything they say is brilliant. The problem is with the rest of us.

Iggy Autry

” I think some of the uber-smart think everything they say is brilliant. The problem is with the rest of us.”

Bingo!!

Which is why specialists in a narrow field think they are experts in everything…

cmacrider

Iggy: You nailed it. In my personal case I spent 7 years in University to acquire a degree in Political Science, a degree in Economics, and a Law Degree. What have I learned? I’ve learned that the truck driver and the mechanic have specialties and knowlege which is quite beyond me. Secondly, the accumulation of degrees has absolutely nothing to do common sense … which is often a rare commodity among the so called educated elite.